O Fortuna Velut Luna
by Hoprocker
Summary: The Most Despair-Inducing Incident in the History of Mankind...it only makes sense that such a catastrophic event would spread to the other side of the world. While Naegi and company fought their battles, a new story unfolded at St. Fortuna's University for the Naturally Gifted. A story filled with pain, grief, and a very fleeting amount of hope. This is that story.
1. Prologue

**Hello! This is Hoprocker here with yet another SYOC. I came up with this idea months ago, but I can't keep my big mouth shut so gingericus19 beat me to it. XD /insert blatant advertisement for his here, though he is no longer accepting profiles/  
**

**Reminder: If you submitted a character, you gave me creative license to do whatever I want with that character. Don't get upset if my interpretation of them is different from what you imagined. If they die earlier than you'd like or if I messed up a mannerism or got their favorite color wrong, that's too bad. You've put them in my hands. Please refrain from PMing me new information about your character or making suggestions, as I plan ahead and don't like to be bothered about little things. I'm like the little golden fish in that one story where the moral was all "be happy with what you have, don't ask for more oh and if you're offered a wish don't freaking waste it on a washtub." Great story. **

**Let's begin! Please make sure to review! And for the record, you should totally listen to the epic song that is O Fortuna aka Carmina Burana (which I most certainly do not own) if you've never heard it. Also a big thanks to lunarisque for making the cover. :) Okay I'll shut up now. Read on!  
**

_O Fortuna_

_Velut luna_

_Statu variabilis_

…How did St. Fortuna's University for the Naturally Gifted get its name?

Fortune is defined as an external, arbitrary force affecting human affairs. Fortuna is said to be the Roman goddess of fortune and the personification of luck. She holds the fate of everyone in her hands. She decides the poor and the rich, the weak and the strong…

Does that mean the students in attendance at this prestigious university are merely lucky? Did fortune smile upon them and bless them with the skills they needed to get in? Many would shake their heads and scoff that there is no such thing as fate. These students worked hard for it—they deserve to attend this school, do they not?

Either way, the answer is no. Fortune has never favored these young adults, nor do they deserve to experience the unavoidable amount of suffering that awaits them.

They see a clean, envelope with a golden seal…bold words that congratulate them on their acceptance. They celebrate with their families, priding themselves on their achievement, for graduating from St. Fortuna's is said to bring a life of success and happiness.

They couldn't possibly know that fate is about to turn on them—they're preoccupied with living out their lives, unaware that despair is seeping into every corner of the world. No one could have seen it coming.

** FALL 2 0 ? ?  
**

The beginning of a new semester.

While freshmen were still getting situated, the Board of Directors working for St. Fortuna's were already sending out formal requests to high school seniors, inviting talented students to come to their university.

President Klaus Schulz sat at a circular table with the rest of the board, looking wearily at the paperwork spread before them. They had selected many gifted students to sort through. It was a painstaking process. Luckily, most of these young adults didn't know their profiles were being viewed. They would not have to feel the pain of being rejected by their top college choice, unless they were too assuming.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Klaus slid the nearest folder towards him and opened it up. It was a file on a male prospective student.

"Robin Linus," He read aloud, "This says he's a Super College Level Entrepreneur. What sort of business does he run?" He scanned the profile, curious as to why it was lacking detail. Still, the number of transactions and the sheer amount of money this 17-year old had conjured was nevertheless impressive.

Each student held some sort of title that was often associated with the school. Super College Level So-and-So. Not exactly the most prestigious title, but no one argued with tradition.

"This Libra Lumiere's a shoe-in!" The woman to Klaus's right declared, "I saw her student film at a festival. Did you know she was the assistant director in…oh, what was that one movie? Starring that little joy, Gustav Hamilton Evernott?"

"_Garden of Flowers_? Terrible movie, but I think we should definitely accept Gustav. He'll be graduating this year, won't he?" Another councilman said, pushing the folder across the table. "He may look young, but don't be fooled."

And so they spent the next few hours glancing over profiles and sharing opinions. In the end, they came up with a list of 16 special students that would most definitely be receiving invitations to attend St. Fortuna's:

**Student Roster (In Alphabetical Order)**

Thomas Alistair: SCL Illusionist

Blake Dermody: SCL Quarterback

Gustav Hamilton Evernott: SCL Actor

Noah Gardener: SCL Environmentalist

Elaine Rose Harlow: SCL Psychologist

Kirby Hoods: SCL Astronomer

Robin Linus: SCL Entrepreneur

Libra Lumiere: SCL Film Director

Charles "Charlie" Anthony Marc: SCL Engineer

Carter Augustus Matthews: SCL Archaeologist

Asui Namida: SCL Artist

Natalie Newport: SCL Veterinarian

Mattheus Grant Onterios: SCL Forensic Scientist

Teresa L. Pierce: SCL Prosecutor

Karah Marie Simmons: SCL Linguist

Margreet "Reeta" Vermeulen: SCL Pilot

Klaus felt a sense of achievement wash over him. He wished he could be there when the students received these letters. Their joy would surely ease his weariness. He let his tired eyes roam over his coworkers. They reflected his fatigue. One woman looked faint. Klaus was feeling a bit lightheaded himself. Perhaps it was getting a bit warm in here…

The president rose to his feet, and crossed the room to turn up the air conditioner. It sprang to life and began pumping cold air into the room. Klaus turned to make his way back to his seat, blissfully inhaling the cool air.

He made it two steps. Then his vision blurred and he pitched forward. His limp body hit the floor with a muffled thud.

No one reacted. All had fallen silent. The rest of the board sat slumped in their seats. Some had sunk forward, lying facedown on the table. No one spoke...no one even breathed...

Every last one of them was dead.

A long while passed before someone came. They didn't spare the corpses a second glance—the stranger merely gathered up the files and left.


	2. Move-In Day

**A big THANK YOU to everyone who submitted! I'm sorry if your character didn't make it, but I must put the limit at 16 or else not all of the characters will get proper development and will be pushed backstage. Trust me on that, I've written three stories with 24 main characters and it always happens to a handful.**

**If you didn't make it, I hope you continue to enjoy the story and leave feedback. If you decide to unfollow because you were really counting on getting in, I understand. Thanks again for taking the time to express interest!**

**As for those who did make it, congratulations! There were over 40 submissions and yours made the cut! I already love each and every one of these characters and I'm dying a little inside to know that I'm gonna have to kill them off. DX I hope you guys won't be too upset with the results and are as excited for the story as I am! Let's get started. It's time for another fun-filled year of mutual killing! **

Today, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The Montana landscape was beautifully picturesque with its crystal clear lakes, tall snow-capped mountains, and rolling green hills. Fresh air filtered through a car's open windows as it rushed along a deserted road. The temperature was still perfectly warm since it was the height of August.

It was a long way from Detroit, Michigan to here. That was for sure. But Elaine couldn't find too much to complain about—the plane ride went by quickly and the scenic drive was incredible. Plus, she had the company of her parents. They seemed excited to reach their destination, but she only felt anxious.

Elaine tried to catch a glimpse of her face in the rear view mirror from the backseat of the van. Aggravated, she poked at a mole just above her left eyebrow. It was nearly impossible to see against her dark skin, but she was very self-conscious about it. That, along with her rectangular glasses and the fact she was borderline overweight. She had been bullied enough in the past for it.

But this was college. Hopefully, it would contain mature and understanding people. Elaine was desperate to make a good impression, wearing her favorite pair of heels, a pleated skirt, and her prettiest blouse. She also had on a pastel pink cardigan her mother had knitted for her. Her soft brown hair was let down past her shoulders.

"Look!" Her mother gasped suddenly, pointing straight ahead, "There it is!"

Ahead on the road, towering concrete walls were rising up to greet them. The walls had to be at least twelve feet tall with barbed wire along the top. It looked out of place among the wilderness. Behind were the brick buildings of St. Fortuna's, including a grand clock tower, famously referred to as "Old Fortune."

Elaine felt her heart swell with excitement. This school would help her make the final leap into becoming the world's greatest psychologist.

But as they drew closer to the university, Elaine felt mildly disturbed by the sight of the walls surrounding it. "Why do you think they built that?" She questioned, wracking her brain for some sort of explanation.

Her father, Mr. Harlow, shrugged it off. "I'm sure it's to protect the students. The world hasn't been the safest place as of late…"

Elaine frowned. This was true. Whisperings of terrorism had been all over the news—apparently some radical idea had started in Japan and expanded from there. So far, America seemed to be untouched by the phenomenon. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

"Oh, but don't you worry about anything, okay honey?" Mrs. Harlow said quickly, turning around to give her daughter a comforting smile, "You just focus on your education."

The van slowed to a stop at the school gate. A sign directed families to speak into a nearby intercom. Elaine's father quickly rolled down the window as the women in his family looked around for some sign of other people.

"_Name?_" A childish voice blared over the intercom.

"Um…Harlow." Mr. Harlow said, casting a wide-eyed glance at his wife. She was holding back a laugh, clearly entertained by this strange form of sign-in.

"_Thank you!_" The voice returned.

A machine spat out a card into Mr. Harlow's hands. He took the ID card and handed it to his daughter, musing, "That's one heck of a machine they've got there! I guess it cuts down on paying real people, huh?"

"It sounded like a real person to me." Mrs. Harlow said thoughtfully.

The gates opened, allowing the van to pass through. Mr. Harlow called a quick thank you into the intercom, but there was no response. Perhaps it was automated after all.

Elaine observed her newly acquired ID card, which was a marvel of technology all in itself. It came with a little touchpad with all of her information. As she pressed it, a message popped up, warning her not to lose this. It was the only thing that could get her into her dorm as well as her room. She also needed photo ID if she wanted to get into certain places, such as the dining commons. Lending cards to other students was prohibited.

Speaking of other students, where was everyone? As they drove through campus, the Harlows passed nary a single soul. Only when they reached the dorms on the northern side did they finally spot other cars, unloading baggage. A few students dragging suitcases stopped and curiously looked her way.

Elaine closed her eyes and pretended they weren't there. Being in the spotlight made her nervous. Only when their car pulled to a stop did she open her eyes and observe her surroundings.

There were two dorm buildings and a dining commons, with a grassy quad in between. Basketball courts and a volleyball net were right next to the tiny parking lot.

"Not too many people here, are there?" Mr. Harlow frowned.

"Well…the rest of the students probably won't arrive for a few more days. The freshmen just had to come early for their orientation tomorrow." Mrs. Harlow reminded her husband.

With that, the family got out of the van and began unloading Elaine's luggage. Elaine was suddenly very anxious. She didn't want to be left behind. She hadn't even made an effort to contact her roommate and get to know her before coming.

But she sucked up her courage and entered her assigned dorm—the other one was locked, most likely for upperclassmen who would arrive on Sunday. Freshmen girls were on the second floor of this dorm, boys on the first. Elaine's room happened to be right by the staircase.

On the door were two little pictures that had been cut out of colored construction paper. One was a little pink brain that was squiggly around the edges and read, _Elaine _on it. The other was the name of her roommate, Karah, inside of a speech bubble.

Sliding the ID card into the slot, the door to her new home unlocked. The family stepped inside, wheeling a trolley with most of their belongings. They were instantly pleased with their surroundings.

The common room was bigger than they expected with two ornate armchairs in front of a widescreen TV. Bright lighting and white carpet floors gave the room a nice atmosphere. Directly across from the entrance was the bathroom, which was sparkling clean with two sinks, a shower, a bath, and a toilet inside a stall.

There were two more rooms branching off the main one—hers and her roommate's. They would share the common area and the bathroom, but each had their own separate quarters that could only be accessed by their key cards.

Once everything had been transported upstairs, it was time to say goodbye. Mr. and Mrs. Harrow hugged their daughter multiple times, telling her how much they would miss her. She echoed their sentiments, promising that she would text often. And then they were gone. She was finally on her own.

Elaine stepped into her room and looked at the wide space in wonderment. She could fill this room with anything she wanted. Over the course of the next week, she could decorate it and make it hers. Coat the wall with her little notes and observations. She smiled softly.

Suddenly, voices reached her ears.

Her roommate stepped out of the room opposite of hers with her brother in tow. Both had the same red-orange hair and freckles. Her future roomie's hair was pulled up into a short ponytail and she was rather skinny with a large mint hoodie that hung all the way to her knees.

The two siblings began saying their goodbyes. Elaine quickly hid out of sight, feeling guilty for eavesdropping, but also afraid to intrude on their last moments together.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Her roommate's brother said, "Good luck, Karah. Don't party too hard."

Karah's bright green eyes were sad. Nevertheless, she smiled and they embraced. "Say bye to Mom and Dad for me." She whispered, grief welling up in her chest.

Silence filled the room.

Elaine felt her hand drifting to the tiny notepad she kept in her pocket. She loved scribbling notes on new people she met in it. As Karah finished up saying goodbye to her brother, Elaine wrote down her first impressions. She was so absorbed in her writing that she almost didn't hear the sobbing coming from the other room.

She finally stepped out, surprised to find Karah sitting on one of the armchairs, crying. Karah jumped a bit at the sight of Elaine. Quickly, she wiped her tears away and forced a smile. Elaine was surprised to see she wore braces, an odd thing for a college student.

"Hi!" Karah greeted, reaching out a hand, "I'm Karah. Super College Level Linguist."

"Elaine. Super College Level Psychologist." Elaine responded quietly, shaking her hand.

Karah sniffled slightly, observing Elaine. She wasn't quite what she expected, but she had this nice vibe about her. She grinned again. "Nice to meet you! I think we'll be great friends."

"Um…is it okay if I can ask why you were crying?" Elaine wondered, looking intently at her new friend.

Karah's smile wavered and she could feel the tears coming back. "I don't mind. I guess you're a good person to talk to about problems, huh?"

Elaine nodded, allowing her to continue.

"It's college, y'know?" Karah sighed, "It's overwhelming. What if I fail my classes? What if I'm like the _first _person to ever flunk out of St. Fortuna's? The expectations are so high!"

"You won't flunk out," Elaine said quietly, "I mean—there's a reason the school picked you. Right?"

"But I don't even _like _my talent," Karah said, tears reforming in her eyes, "I always wanted to be an art major, but it's not like I could choose my strengths. What will my brother say if I fail? He's always worked so hard to take care of me and here I am, about to ruin everything…!" She let out a sob and hid her face in her hands.

Elaine realized it was strange her parents hadn't come to see her off. She made a mental note to record this detail in her notebook later on. But right now, comforting Karah was the appropriate thing to do.

"Don't think of any of that," Elaine said, tentatively placing a hand on her new friend's shoulder, "It may be scary. But it's a chance at a new life…you should take advantage of it."

Karah brightened considerably. "You're right," She decided, "I'm so sorry for burdening you with this as soon as we met! I tend to stress a lot."

"It's all right. I'm a psychologist after all." Elaine smiled.

"Does that mean I get free therapy sessions?" Karah joked. Before Elaine could respond, she went on to say, "Hey! What d'you say we go meet some of our dormmates?"

Elaine flinched slightly at the suggestion. She hadn't had anytime to prepare herself for social interaction. "But what about unpacking?"

"How boring! That can come later."

Elaine frowned. On second thought…this would be a great time to observe her peers. She pulled out her notebook and agreed to go.

The two of them set off down the hall for the nearest room while Karah began to voice her worries about the other students liking her. Elaine couldn't help but feel she would be giving Karah a lot of therapy sessions over the coming year. She sighed inwardly and prepared herself to meet new people.

Judging from the adorable pictures on the next door, this suite contained a Super College Level Artist and perhaps a cameraperson. A little brown palette with spots of color read "Asui," and a black camera cutout read, "Libra." Just on the other side of the door, the two girls could hear a Marina and The Diamonds song blasting at full volume.

_If you are not very careful_

_Your possessions will possess you_

_TV taught me how to feel_

_Now real life has no appeal_

"An artist!" Karah said, clapping her hands, "I can't wait to meet her!" She proceeded to knock on the door.

The music continued for a few more seconds then came to an abrupt halt. There was a long pause.

Elaine shifted uncomfortably and exchanged a glance with Karah. Still, nothing happened. She had a sneaking suspicion that someone was peering at them through the eyehole, silently waiting for them to go away. She was just about to suggest the idea of moving on to her roommate, but then the door opened.

A girl with light brown pigtails and green-blue eyes greeted them with a smile. She wore jean shorts, black boots, and a black tank top with a little red vest over it. A small beret and a pair of sunglasses rested on her head, between her high pigtails.

"Hi!" Karah exclaimed, "You must be Asui, the artist!"

The girl's smile immediately disappeared and her brow crinkled. "God, no!" She said, sounding almost insulted, "What makes you think that?"

"Oh…I just assumed from your hat…"

Libra's smile appeared back on her face as quickly as it had gone. "Artists aren't the only ones that wear these," She told the two girls, tapping her beret, "Anyways, I'm Libra Lumiere: Film Director Extraordinaire." Her lips twitched into a prideful smirk.

"Aw that's a cute little intro you have there. Did you make that up yourself?" Karah said in a friendly tone.

"What, you think I stole it?"

"Of course not! I just—"

"Because even if I did, there's nothing wrong with stealing things if they don't have a copyright. All of the best lines are stolen." Libra concluded, giving a light laugh, "So who are you guys?"

"I'm Karah and this is Elaine." Karah introduced the both of them politely; "We were just going around meeting everyone on the floor. Would you like to join us?"

Libra's smile faltered. "Oh, sorry. I'm kind of busy."

Elaine stood on her toes and peered past Libra into the room. The TV was on, currently displaying the title screen of some mainstream Zelda game. "Oh, are you playing video games?" She asked innocently.

Libra's eyes narrowed defensively. Her smile now appeared to be as far from genuine as possible. Elaine wilted under her gaze.

"She doesn't have to come if she doesn't want to," Karah cut in, "I'm sure everyone is busy trying to settle in. Do you think Asui would be interested in coming?"

"Umm…" Libra paused, looking uncertain, "No, I don't think she would."

"Can we meet her?" Karah asked, trying to get a good look into Libra's room. She could see all sorts of film equipment set up such as lights and bounce cards. An expensive-looking camera rested on a tripod too.

Libra grimaced. "Sure…" She slowly retreated back into the room to knock on Asui's door. The two other girls followed her in, eagerly taking in all the sights.

Karah popped her head into the bathroom, but it was lacking decorations and looked exactly like theirs. She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Ugh, something stinks in here. I don't think the janitors did a very good job of cleaning."

"I don't smell anything," Libra mumbled.

"Really? It's _rancid_!"

"I have a terrible sense of smell, but that can be a good thing, I suppose. But then again, I've accidentally walked right up to skunks. Asui, you in there?" Libra knocked again, but there was no response. _Fine, stay in there. _She grumbled inwardly, stepping away.

"Still, you should really call someone to come get the smell out. Or at least put one of those Febreze things in here." Karah babbled on, her eyes getting wider with each second, "It could be something really bad. Maybe there's a dead animal stuck in the wall or some kind of noxious gas is leaking into the room—"

Suddenly, Asui's door opened and she stepped out. Both Karah and Elaine had been expecting an Asian, but she was just another white chick with choppy, dark brown hair and emerald green eyes. She wore a black shirt and a pair of cargo pants with some colorful paint splatters.

Asui looked at the two newcomers shyly, appearing a bit uncomfortable with so many guests in her room. "Hi…I'm Asui Namida, the artist."

"I still say that's not your real name," Libra scoffed softly. She had collapsed onto one of the armchairs and snatched up a Wii remote to continue her game, bored with the introductions.

Asui's face hardened into a glare. "Of course it's my real name!"

"But you don't look Japanese." Libra said, arching an eyebrow at Asui. "Are you sure you're not…y'know, one of those—"

"Why don't you take it up with my parents if it's so important to you?" Asui growled, looking much more irritated now.

Karah and Elaine could only stand there awkwardly as the two roommates bickered. Finally, Karah broke in and invited Asui to come meet everyone with them. Surprisingly, she accepted their offer. She seemed desperate to escape Libra. Karah and Elaine were happy to accept her into their ranks.

"See you later, Libra!" Karah called over her shoulder as they left.

"See you!" Libra responded in a chipper voice, flashing a pleasant smile over her shoulder, "It was nice meeting you!"

"Likewise." Karah concluded as the door shut behind them.

"She seems nice." Elaine said thoughtfully as their party of three continued down the hall.

Asui's gaze darkened. "Not everyone is who they seem, you know."

Elaine regarded this thought, decided Asui had a point, and made a quick note of this in her book. Karah had already run ahead to peer at the next room down the hall. This one had a picture of a cat and a telescope. The names read _Natalie _and _Kirby_. Before Karah could knock, the door suddenly popped open and another girl appeared.

She had straight, mousy brown hair held back with a headband and large brown eyes. She wore a long skirt and a cute sweater with a cat on it. She smiled sweetly at her guests.

Karah tapped her chin. "Natalie?"

"Kirby, actually. Nice to meet you!" Kirby said cheerfully.

"You're all purposely trying to confuse me or something…" Karah grumbled. "But it's nice to meet you too."

Elaine could hear sobbing come from within the room. "Is…is something going on…?" She wondered, feeling rude for asking.

Kirby cast a worried glance into the room behind her. "My roommate ran into some issues. I was going to go get her something nice from the vending machines in the basement."

"What happened?" Asui wondered suspiciously.

Suddenly, Kirby's roommate appeared, looking panicked. Her wide green eyes looked magnified by cat-eyed glasses. She was rather chubby and short, with frizzy light blue hair and a dowdy school uniform. But looking past her odd appearance, it was clear to see she was distressed.

"Please help me!" She begged, tears streaming down her face, "It's my cat! She hid in my bag and now she's stuck here, a-and my parents have already left! I-I don't know what to do, pets aren't even allowed in the dorms and the school officials will be furious…!"

Elaine could feel Asui and Karah looking at her, waiting for her to do something, but Kirby was there to comfort her roommate.

"Natalie, it's fine. We'll just explain it was an accident." She soothed, "Please don't worry about it. Why don't you introduce yourself to our floormates?"

Natalie looked at the others, feeling rather miserable. She knew they were probably judging her for her strange appearance and the fact she was bawling her eyes out. But she mumbled a quick hello and told them she was a SCL Veterinarian.

"Can we see your cat?" Karah asked eagerly.

Natalie felt a flicker of surprise at the question. It was immediately replaced with a warm glow. "Okay!" She agreed cheerfully, leading the girls into her room.

On the bed was a white-and-ginger Exotic Shorthair. The squashy-faced cat had large, bulbous eyes that were half-closed in contentment. As the girls came into the room, it rose to its feet and stretched, mewing a pleasant greeting.

"You troublemaker." Natalie sighed tearfully, taking her cat in her arms.

"She's so cute!" Karah exclaimed.

Asui looked at Natalie's pet fondly. "I wish I had brought my cat with me. What's her name?"

"Mina." Natalie replied.

After fussing over the cat for a few minutes, Karah invited the two girls on their little trip around the dorms. Natalie declined, not really in the mood for it, but Kirby was eager to join them. She promised her roommate she'd bring her back a treat from downstairs when they were done.

Then it was time to visit the last occupied room. Elaine scribbled furiously in her notebook while Karah and Kirby led the pack, chattering away about their talents. Apparently, Kirby was an astronomer and very proud of her achievements. She had built telescopes and even discovered a number of constellations and stars. Asui trailed behind them, listening quietly.

The last door had an airplane and a scale on it. _Margreet _and_ Teresa. _A blonde with short, wavy hair answered the door. She wore a short pink skirt with a leather bomber jacket, an odd combination. She gave a wriggle of glee at the sight of her guests.

"Oh, aren't you a cute little group! What's up?"

Kirby took the initiative to introduce each one of them, but wound up getting half the names wrong, so Karah helped her out. Then the other girl introduced herself with vigor.

"The name's Reeta! Reeta with two "e's" because Rita with an "i" sounds like a cranky old lady's name. Yup! Anyways, I'm a SCL Pilot!" Before anyone could comment on how cool that was, she cut back in. "Ooh, wanna meet my roomie? Teresa, get over here! She's a SCL Prosecutor. She's still unpacking at the moment."

Despite this, the prosecutor appeared next to Reeta. She resembled Karah slightly with her choppy ginger hair and freckled skin, but there was a more feminine air about her. She wore rose-tinted glasses that shielded her eyes from view along with a black cardigan, dark jeans, and red canvas shoes.

"Oh!" Teresa let out a small gasp at the little crowd outside their door. "Hi Asui!"

Asui's head snapped up. She had been zoning out until a familiar voice reached her ears. She stared at Teresa in shock.

"You two know each other?" Kirby questioned.

Teresa nodded, a smile slowly weaving across her face. "I guess you could say we were childhood friends, until I moved away."

Kirby gave a small laugh. "God works in mysterious ways! What a small world it is for you two to meet again."

"I suppose." Teresa said, looking at Asui, "How have you been?"

Asui sensed there was little tension between them and softened a bit. She tried to return Teresa's smile, but she had never been good at smiling when she wasn't happy. "Fine." She said, "You?"

Teresa's grin stretched just a little wider, looking almost sinister. "Never better."

"Hey!" Karah declared, interrupting the reunion, "So who's up for coming with us to meet the guys on the floor below?"

"Oh my gosh!" Reeta squealed, unable to contain her enthusiasm, "I can't wait to see them! I'm so ready to get a cute college boyfriend."

"Yes, I suppose unpacking can wait." Teresa said, running a hand through her short hair, "Boys are more important."

Elaine stopped writing in her notebook, nerves freezing her on the spot. _Boys? _She thought fearfully. She hated when boys looked at her. She never knew what they were thinking. Did they think she was ugly or pretty? Honestly, she would have preferred not to know. She wouldn't know what to do if one _did _like her.

As she was stressing over this, the other girls moved on without her. She hurriedly gathered her things and rushed off after them, stammering, "W-Wait! Wait for me!"

**I hope the number of characters in this chapter wasn't too overwhelming! They're probably blending together a little bit in your mind right now, but their personalities will shine more as we continue to read about them. Don't forget to leave a review! The gentlemen are up next.**


	3. A Feast for Prodigies

**I'm seriously amazed at how many reviews this story has gotten! I never expected this. Seriously, thank you guys so much! It warms my empty thoracic cavity. TT_TT Anyways, I drew the females as a special treat! I'll attempt to draw the males next, but I'm not as good at drawing boys. Since FF doesn't like links put into author's notes, you can find the route to my deviantart on my profile right under the fanart section. Enjoy!  
**

"Alistair, Alistair! Will you show me a trick? What's it like being a SCL Illusionist?" Gustav asked, shining a blue laser pointer on the book Alistair was currently reading.

Alistair rubbed his temple, wondering what he had done to deserve such an annoying roommate. Even though he made it clear he was trying to read his novel, Gustav was oblivious and persistent. He snapped his book shut and glared at the SCL Actor.

Gustav appeared much younger than he was with his large lips and brown hair neatly combed to one side. He wore mismatched clothes and a gaudy jester hat. Despite being off-camera, he wore a fine layer of white makeup. As a performer himself, Alistair could understand wearing makeup when onstage, but wearing makeup offstage? This boy was off-kilter.

"Will you teach me a magic trick?" Gustav asked, poking Alistair's arm.

Alistair let out a deep sigh. "Tell me, Gustav, have you ever heard of the phrase, 'a magician never reveals his secrets?'"

"I thought your title was Illusionist." Gustav said, his mouth forming a wide O.

"Yes, but you get my point—"

"Then I'll show _you _a magic trick! I'm not just an actor you know—I was in the circus before that!" Gustav pulled a bunch of juggling balls out of nowhere and began tossing them.

Alistair gave Gustav a withering look. "Juggling is _not _a magic trick."

Gustav's eyes widened dramatically, but before he could get his drama thing on, there was a knock at the door. Instantly, he was there to fling it open, all while belting out a musical greeting.

"Hey, I know you!" Reeta burst out, jaw dropping at the sight of Gustav, "You're an actor, aren't you? Gustav…Gustav something…"

"Gustav Hamilton Evernott at your service!" The short boy chirped, sweeping into a bow. "And this is my friend, Alistair!"

_We are not friends. _Alistair thought silently. He inclined his head towards the women standing at their door.

Reeta could feel color rushing into her face. She looked at the other girls—they were eyeing Alistair up as well. Gustav was adorable, but Alistair was a total looker with tousled, dirty blonde hair and an angular jawline. His hazel eyes glinted behind oval glasses and his long limbs betrayed how tall he was when standing. Still, he did not move from his seat.

"Wait, isn't your name Thomas?" Asui questioned, glaring at the door. It had a picture of an eye representing the illusionist, listing his name as Thomas. Two masks side by side, one happy, one sad, were Gustav's symbol.

Alistair felt a prick of annoyance. "I prefer to go by my last name, Alistair." He said with a wry smile, "It makes for a much better stage name, you see. "

"Then Alistair it is." Teresa said, shooting him a flirty wink.

He inclined his head once more. "Thank you." Then he reopened his book and returned to reading. Teresa swallowed her disappointment and tore her attention from him.

"So are you going around meeting everyone? Are you?" Gustav asked, looking positively thrilled, "Can I come?"

"Of course!" Karah declared, "You're welcome to come too, Alistair."

"No thank you." Alistair said quietly, absorbed in his book.

Disappointed, the girls left him to it. But they were happy to have Gustav with them. He was a bundle of energy. The girls asked him all about his acting career as they walked to the next suite. The pictures on this door were a mechanical gear and a tree, a rather interesting combination.

Both boys answered the door together after Gustav pounded on it excitedly.

One boy had curly, chestnut brown hair, thick eyebrows, and a long face. He wore a plaid button-up, tight pants, and beaded bracelets on his arms. "Heyyy…" He said with a lazy grin, "What's all this?"

The other boy, who was a bit on the short side, had calculating blue eyes and a carefully styled mop of dark hair. His expression was smug as his eyes roved over the crowd of girls gathered around them. He was very aware of their admiring gazes on his navy-blue and white pinstripe suit emphasizing his lean frame. He had worn it for this exact purpose.

"You see, Noah?" He told his roommate triumphantly, "I told you I had an irresistible aura when it came to women. They naturally flock to me. Be grateful you were paired with such an exquisite roommate."

Noah pursed his lips and nodded, looking very satisfied.

"We're just going around meeting everyone on the floor," Karah said, embarrassed.

"Ah. The name's Charlie, Charlie Marc. Bask in the glory of the most brilliant man you'll ever meet," The engineer said with a charming smile.

Reeta rolled her eyes, but she couldn't deny he was pretty cute.

"Ooh…such confidence." Teresa laughed lightly, finding overconfidence much more attractive than her friend.

Charlie glanced at her and she made eyes at him in return. Asui felt slightly disgusted with her "childhood" friend and nudged Karah, reminding her to jump in there and introduce everyone in a quick manner.

"I'm Noah Gardener, SCL Environmentalist," Noah said in a chill tone of voice, "I do all sorts of humanitarian work. You kids ever—"

"Your name is Gardener and you're an Environmentalist?" Gustav gasped. He threw back his head and started laughing hysterically.

Noah frowned. "Uh…as I was saying, you kids ever been to a third world country?"

Kirby perked up. "No, what's it like? Which one did you go to? What sort of activities did you do to aid the villages there?" She reached up and fiddled with her necklace, a little golden crucifix. "I've always wanted to go to one and help with the relief efforts."

Noah blinked, looking faintly surprised that someone would show so much interest.

Kirby seemed slightly embarrassed and looked away. "Sorry for asking so many questions…"

"Yeah." Noah said, shrugging nonchalantly, "It's okay. You probably haven't heard of the country, anyways. Not many have."

Both Charlie and Noah decided to return to unpacking, but they bid their guests a kind farewell. As the girls walked off down the hall, Charlie's eyes followed them. _I am so getting laid while I'm here. _He thought smugly.

"Open up, it's the welcoming committee!" Gustav shouted loudly, once again taking the initiative to pound the door with all his strength. It practically shook on its hinges. Its occupant waited until Gustav had finished the assault before opening it. The girls ogled him, comparing him to their previous endeavors.

The slim boy had brownish blonde hair with a neat part and bangs swept to the side. His face was narrow with a small nose and ridiculously rosy cheeks that made him appear as if he were blushing. He wore dark gray dress pants, a white short-sleeved shirt buttoned all the way up, and a green tie.

He was obviously Robin, represented by the money cutout on his door. The other one was a picture of a football. Despite firm shoulders, this boy didn't have the muscles of a football player.

Robin nearly had a heart attack when some sort of clown bounced towards him with a wide grin. "Hi, I'm Gustav! Are you Robin? I like your picture! I'm a huge moneymaker myself, you know. Money makes the world go around…the world go around…" He dissolved into a quiet round of singing, all while looking at Robin expectantly.

_Christ, what did I ever do in my life to deserve this? _Robin thought, despite forcing a polite smile. "Aha, yes that's me. Super College Level Entrepreneur."

Gustav began babbling something about how much money he once made in a day. Robin groaned inwardly and looked at the rest of Gustav's company. They were all girls. Robin's eyes settled on one in particular…a slender brunette. She had a pretty face, but her outfit was rather frumpy and unflattering. Still, if he looked at her or one of the other attractive girls, his fake smile became a little easier to accomplish.

"Let me introduce you to everyone," Karah offered. One by one, she pointed out the students and told Robin who and what they were. As if she expected him to actually remember their names. Then she invited him to come meet everyone else with them.

Robin gave a nervous laugh, "Oh, no I don't think so. I have a lot of unpacking to do. But thank you for the kind offer." An idea struck him. "Actually, my roommate might want to accompany you…Blake?" He cast a glance over his shoulder.

"Huh?" A deep voice responded. The football player came wandering out of his room. His appearance was classic.

He had a messy mop of dirty blonde hair and nice, tan skin. He had the stereotypical athletic build as well—his muscles seemed to be straining to escape from his white and brown letterman jacket. As he approached, he shoved his hands into his jean pockets and offered everyone a huge grin. "Sup?" He greeted, his brown eyes warm.

"Hi!" Reeta said, beaming.

"These nice ladies and gentleman were wondering if you'd like to accompany them on their little trip around the dorm." Robin offered kindly.

"Well, we've just about finished up," Karah admitted, "But we were thinking we'd head to dinner together later on!"

"Sweet!" Blake said, nodding approvingly, "Let's do it. I can't figure out how to open my suitcase. This might help."

"…How is this going to help?" Asui said, looking doubtful.

"Ahaha, have a nice time!" Robin said with a friendly wave.

As soon as Blake was clear of the room, the door slammed shut behind him. Blake didn't seem too concerned with the fact he couldn't open his suitcase and asked to know everyone's names. But as soon as everyone introduced themselves, he immediately forgot them.

"Ashley?" Blake guessed, keeping pace with Asui.

"_Asui_." She growled.

"Ahh…Ahh-soy…Ass-wee…" Blake said slowly, pronouncing each syllable.

Asui refrained from face-palming. "Just don't talk to me if it's so difficult."

Blake frowned. "Man, this is why everyone should wear jerseys."

Asui opened her mouth for a sharp retort, but Reeta excitedly jumped into the conversation. "I wish! Or at least nametags. That would make this so much easier!"

Finally, it was time to meet the last two students. The pictures here were rather ominous: a human skull and a handprint. For a moment, everyone just stopped and stared at the chilling combination.

"Dude." Blake's voice interrupted the silence, "Do you think a hand model lives here?"

"Maybe a skeleton does!" Gustav suggested.

"Or a mortician." Kirby said with a shiver.

"Just knock on the door so we can find out already." Asui sighed.

But before anyone could do so, it opened. Reeta let out a surprised yelp and leaped behind Blake. Before them was…not really the sort of person they were expecting. Not someone who would have a skull on his door, anyways.

It was a tall, tanned boy with a messy mop of curly black hair under a bright red hat, pulled backwards. His white undershirt showed off a nice set of muscles, but his neck was practically dripping with chains and sunglasses hid his eyes from view. He whipped off his sunglasses to squint at everyone.

"Hey!" He greeted loudly, "You just go around standing outside people's doors and talking about them or what?" A good-natured grin showed that he didn't mean anything by it.

"So are you Mattheus or Carter?" Karah questioned, checking the door again.

"Modus Operandi…but you can just call me Grant." He began shaking everyone's hand while they all exchanged confused looks.

"I thought it was pronounced Mattheus?" Reeta asked, frowning.

Grant laughed. "Sorry, that's just something I like to say. I'm a SCL Forensic Scientist, you see, and my initials are M.O. Even so, I like to go by my middle name."

"M.O." Reeta echoed, still looking befuddled.

"Mode of operation." Elaine offered quietly.

As he turned to shake Blake's hand, Grant's expression suddenly became hard. "What are you, a football player?" He sneered, eyeing the jacket.

"Yup." Blake grinned, completely failing to pick up on Grant's distaste, "Quarterback. You ever play?"

"Football is overrated!" Grant declared, "I play lacrosse. It may not get half the hype football does, but it deserves even more."

"Okay," Blake agreed, nodding.

"So who's Carter?" Karah asked.

"Oh, him. He's an archaeologist. Hey Carter! Get out here!" Grant called.

"Wait! Carter Matthews? From TV?" Reeta said quickly. Gustav gave a loud gasp and began hopping up and down.

Karah looked at Elaine with wide eyes. "How do so many people seem to know each other?" She asked, "Is this some kind of conspiracy?"

Elaine just shrugged.

But sure enough, the Carter they were expecting showed himself. A few students recognized his face from either his show or just commercials. He was tall with brown hair, hazel eyes, and circular glasses. His face was rather gaunt, but perfectly tan and acne free, as expected. "Hello." He greeted, giving everyone a small smile, revealing a perfect set of white teeth.

"I've seen your show on the History channel!" Reeta said enthusiastically, "It's so cool you get to fly around to all those places with your dad and go looking for lost artifacts! But don't get me wrong, I love the new angle you guys took as well."

Carter cringed at the mention of the TV show. He had been crossing his fingers none of the students here would recognize him. Now, they were all looking at him curiously.

A few years ago, he would have been proud to be associated with his father's reality TV show. He loved following him to all of his expeditions, exploring ancient structures and searching for lost cultures, all while being followed by a TV crew. But then the show began to lose viewers and after one final plunge, the producers decided it was time to mix things up.

Carter thought it would have been better to cancel the show. Instead, the episodes became centered on their mess of a family—now with the added bonuses of his three sleazy siblings who were complete party animals. At least he could keep away from them at college, but he couldn't run from his reputation.

"Thank you for tuning in," Carter sighed, unwilling to explain just how he felt.

"It's nice to meet you." Karah piped up, "Hey! So, um, we were thinking we'd all get back to unpacking and then maybe meet up for dinner later on?"

Carter hesitated to join such a big group. But his gave everyone a friendly smile and said it sounded like a good idea. Grant agreed, looking as if he already wanted to run off and eat. He had been procrastinating on unpacking for a while and his bags were still piled in the common room.

"See you later then!" Karah said, giving a wave. "Come on, Elaine." The two roommates began to walk back to their room. Gustav raced after them, calling, "Wait! I wanna see all the girls' rooms!"

Kirby followed, looking flustered, "Um, don't you think that's a little, err…you know…inappropriate?"

_That was a waste of time. _Asui thought, disgruntled. She hadn't been able to talk to many people and most of them seemed really out there, anyways. _I suppose that's to be expected of a bunch of prodigies. They're all oddballs. _She decided to just head back to her room and play her guitar for a while.

"We done already?" Blake said, remaining where he was.

"Well…I guess that's everyone!" Reeta said happily, "Um, so did you need help with your suitcase or something? I kinda have nothing to do, so…"

"Y'know what, I'll help you too." Teresa said with a sweet smile.

"Aw, sweet." Blake said, brimming with happiness, "Thanks a lot you guys!"

"Then again, if a big strong man like yourself can't open a suitcase, we might not be able to do much." Teresa laughed, walking alongside the other two.

Blake waved a hand. "Nah, it's not a matter of strength. It's just really confusing."

"I bet I can figure it out!" Reeta said happily, "Leave it to me!"

As the last of the crowd dissipated, Carter and Grant closed the door to their room. Instead of tackling his bags, Grant snatched the remote and sprawled in front of the TV. But when he clicked it on, no image showed up. Only a little square text box that read "searching for signal…"

"Still?" Grant groaned, "This sucks! I can't even get a signal on my phone. And there's no Wi-Fi either. Why'd they have to build this school in the middle of freaking nowhere? Oh well…" Suddenly, he was darting out the door, exclaiming, "I'm gonna go find where my classes are!"

Carter was instantly alone. He sighed in relief. Grant was loud and boisterous…not exactly his ideal type of roommate, but at least he was friendly. Happily, he opened up a history book and prepared for a quiet afternoon.

* * *

Hours later, Grant came rushing into the Dining Commons. The main doors opened up to a front desk area, but a metal screen was pulled down over the window. He ran right up to it and pounded on it with a fist.

"Hey!" He called, "Is anybody there? Can someone come unlock the doors for me? All of the buildings are locked."

There was no response.

Grant felt a flicker of annoyance. He hadn't seen an adult around since his parents left—not that he was complaining. But he wanted to figure out where his classes were going to be held and explore the campus. His first stop was the Science Building and it had been locked at all entrances. He tried other buildings. The Medical Center? Locked. Rec Center? Locked. Even the doors to Old Fortune wouldn't open. He was growing increasingly frustrated.

At least the Dining Commons was open. Perhaps the others were just closed until the other students arrived. But his stubborn spirit drove him to explore the campus buildings before anyone else. Clearly, that wasn't going to happen. He would just have to be patient.

_Hm? _A delicious scent suddenly reached his nose. Grant turned and spotted a sign that read, "Dinner served at 6." A clock nearby showed that it was exactly that time. All qualms were instantly forgotten: it was time to eat.

Grant followed the smell into a well-lit cafeteria. His mouth dropped open in astonishment at the sight of a buffet: aisles of assorted meats, pastas, fruits, vegetables, and desserts. There were no cafeteria workers around, but the food was fresh and steaming. There was an incredible amount to choose from. Everything looked delicious.

Trying to keep from drooling, Grant approached the spread. The locked buildings didn't matter at this point. Not even the lack of Internet service. A school that treated its students to this kind of feast _had_ to be awesome.

* * *

Noah waited a good long while before heading to dinner. He was happy to just laze outside in the grass, strumming a new tune on his ukulele. He closed his eyes and listened to the birds in the trees. This place was nothing like Seattle. This was nature at its best—outside the school walls, at least.

_I wonder if the school officials let students leave the boundaries, _Noah wondered, entertaining the idea of a hike. It'd be nice to take someone with him and educate them.

After putting away his ukulele, Noah ventured to the Dining Commons. All of the students had already gathered there, most of them sitting at tables, others still getting food. Noah spotted a girl with pigtails piling meat onto her plate: a very unpleasant sight to see. He marched right on over there to speak with her.

Libra was so focused on filling her plate that she almost didn't notice Noah. Until he said, "Did you know you're not gaining any value from consuming meat?"

"Huh…?" Libra said quietly, freezing where she was. Her eyes went wide and she looked from her plate to Noah nervously.

"Eating too much meat can be detrimental to your health," Noah explained, "And there are no nutrients in meat that can't be found in certain vegetables. And let's not forget you're killing animals—no matter how humane people boast they are, the fact remains: it's still murder."

Libra's brow crinkled slightly. "But…but it tastes good."

"So you only eat this meat for the hedonistic and temporary satisfaction of your taste buds, giving no thought to other lives." Noah declared in a superior tone, "How selfish!"

Libra's affronted expression melted into a scowl. "Well, I'm a selfish person." She said, forcing a fake laugh to make light of the situation. But her eyes sparked dangerously.

"Save the animals!" Noah demanded, reaching out to take her plate from her.

Libra drew back furiously. "I _eat _the animals!" She snapped. The film director snatched a chicken wing off her plate and ferociously tore into it to accentuate her statement.

Noah gasped. Libra whipped around and stalked off towards a nearby soda fountain machine, fuming silently. Noah was tempted to chase her down, but he just shook his head and sighed, "It's no use trying to expand a narrow mind that's unwilling to change."

"You've got that right," A nearby voice snorted. Noah turned to see Asui standing behind him, her plate filled with healthy fruits and vegetables. She smirked. "Be grateful you don't live with her. I'm Asui. Come sit with me?"

Noah smiled and replied, "Oh yes, I laid eyes on you earlier today. I take it you're a vegetarian?"

She nodded, happy that she had finally found something in common with someone.

"All right, let me help myself and we can talk all about what it means to live a healthy lifestyle!" Noah said with a lazy grin.

Libra refrained from grimacing as she passed the two by. She scanned the cafeteria, wondering whom to sit with. Kirby and Natalie were chatting quietly with one another on their own, but the blue hair deal was really freaking Libra out.

Not far from them, there was a quiet group of guys: Alistair, Robin, and Carter. They barely spoke a word as they ate. She eyed them wishfully, but knew it would be creepy if she just sat down with them and started talking.

That left the large, talkative group that was producing all of the noise in the cafeteria. Libra began to make her way to them. This group consisted of Karah, Elaine, Reeta, Teresa, Blake, Charlie, Grant, and…oh God, no.

_Crap. No. I'm just gonna leave. I'm just gonna leave right now and take my plate back to my room and eat there—oh God he's looking up, he's caught the scent of fear, there's no escape now…!_

"LIBRAAAAA!" Gustav's shriek filled the cafeteria and echoed down the halls. He leaped out of his chair so fast it went flying out from under him. Before Libra could run, he had already glomped her with a force that sent her reeling.

"Get off me, Gustav!" She growled, very aware that everyone had quieted and was looking at her.

"It's been too long!" Gustav sobbed, producing fake tears, "I missed you so much! Did you miss me?"

"No!" She snapped.

"You're so funny! Just like I remember!"

"You two know each other?" Teresa questioned, smiling at the sort-of happy reunion.

"I met him on the streets once—"

"We worked together on a movie!" Gustav declared proudly, drowning out Libra's voice, "_Garden of Flowers_."

"Never heard of it." Karah said, frowning, "What's it about?"

Gustav's voice took on a musical quality as he recited the summary of the film. "'Galen Quest Starr is a boy prodigy who lives in a run-down home with an abusive father and a sickly mother. He spends most of his time out in their tiny yard, tending to a flower garden that started as a mere rose seed. When Galen's genius is discovered, he starts on the long road to fame, but the rising star will never forget his roots.' Get it? ROOTS?!" Gustav began laughing so hard that he collapsed and rolled around on the floor.

"Stop being so overdramatic all the time!" Libra groaned, hoisting him up by an arm.

"So you directed _Garden of Flowers_?" Charlie snorted, "Honestly, it sounds like the title of a porno to me. Maybe I should check it out."

Libra looked incredibly offended. "It's not! And I would never direct such an atrocity. I accepted the job of assistant director because I'd only done individual films for festivals until then and I wanted to get my name into credits on the big screen! But even then, the real director never let me make any decisions or have any influence on his dung heap of a film. Whenever I argued, he sent me to get coffee for him."

"Tell them about the part where you screamed at him!" Gustav suggested, nudging her playfully.

Libra took a deep breath, trying to calm down. She wished everyone would stop looking at her and go back to stuffing their faces. But she forced a shaky smile and admitted, "I wouldn't call it screaming, but I did quit in a rather dramatic fashion."

"She screamed so loud, I started crying!" Gustav said, wide-eyed.

"Did you really? No you didn't…" Libra mumbled, heat rushing to her face. "You're always crying."

Gustav dropped the issue and invited her to come eat with them. But Libra was very unwilling to get to know her peers. She forced a smile, muttered some excuse about how she was expecting a phone call, and escaped with her food.

"She's a bad liar," Grant snorted, flipping out his cell phone, "No one's getting any service."

"Maybe she just hasn't realized yet," Karah suggested, glancing at her roommate. Elaine was very absorbed in writing something. Her thoughts were always buried in her notebook; Karah had dragged her over here, hoping she would socialize more, but to no avail.

_Oh well…_

"So babe, why don't you take off those sunglasses off and stay a while?" Charlie said, motioning to Teresa, who sat across the table from him.

She stiffened at the suggestion, but still managed a smile. "No thank you," She giggled, adjusting her triangle shades, "It may look it, but it's _not _just a fashion statement."

"What is it then?" Reeta asked, looking quizzical.

Teresa sighed. "I'm…blind in my left eye." She remained silent as the usual sounds of sympathy came her way. She would never admit how much she enjoyed them. Sob stories got people on your side…not that hers was much of a sob story.

Blake frowned. "How do you see then?"

"Uhh…with my right eye?"

"Oh. Makes sense."

Teresa didn't question Blake's thinking process. She was very aware of Elaine's gaze boring into her. The psychologist was the one who had the courage to ask, "How did you lose your sight?"

"Another time." Teresa said quietly.

Reeta quickly jumped in and changed the conversation, sensing her roommate's discomfort. "So Grant, have you ever touched a dead body?" _Whoops, _She thought right after, _that's not exactly the best dinnertime topic._

But Grant was eager to talk about himself and ran with it before anyone could stop him. His eyes lit up with excitement as he described his work in a disturbing amount of detail. A few students, mostly CSI fans, were interested to hear what he had to say. Others were a bit disturbed.

Karah felt sick to her stomach at the thought of blood and dead bodies. She couldn't eat another bite. "Sorry," She cut in, as Grant stopped to take a breath, "But I think I'm going to go back to my room. I feel a little queasy."

Grant didn't seem to care and quickly delved back into his narrative. Karah got up; Elaine stood with her.

"I'll go with you," She said, eager to escape this rambunctious group.

From their table, Alistair, Robin, and Carter could hear every word of the other group's loud conversation. Carter didn't like the looks of them. The engineer seemed to give off a rich, spoiled vibe. A few of them seemed like the party type as well. They weren't his sort of people.

"So…" Carter said quietly, looking from Robin to Alistair, "An entrepreneur and an illusionist, huh?"

"That's right," Robin said wearily, resting his cheek on his hand as he poured more cream into his coffee. He had skipped his afternoon caffeine buzz and was feeling the effects of it.

Alistair remained silent, eyeing Robin's drink with disgust.

"I don't know much about magic," Carter said thoughtfully, "Is it something you go to college for?"

"No, I suppose not." Alistair said, picking at his pasta, "Most illusionists have mentors teach them everything they know. My mentor is the best around…but I desired to further my education and planned to attend college all along. I have a keen interest in the performance major and theatre architecture…" He drifted off, feeling embarrassed for having prattled on.

"Don't forget the state of the economy. If you don't have a degree to your name, you might as well sell your house and go live on the streets." Robin stated bluntly.

Carter frowned. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Yes, you can't say that for sure," Alistair said, clearing his throat, "But it's not a problem for any of us. We're here at St. Fortuna's, where good fortune is guaranteed."

Nearby, Kirby and Natalie were cleaning up and preparing to go back to their dorm room. As they stepped outside, they noticed the sky had darkened considerably.

"Did you make sure to get some food for Mina?" Kirby asked as they walked back together.

"Of course!" Natalie replied, sounding worried, "But I still don't know how to break the news to the school. Speaking of which, I haven't even seen any adults around."

Kirby searched for a way to comfort Natalie. She hadn't given much thought to the school's workers not showing their faces. They were obviously there, considering the fantastic meal they had been treated to. Perhaps they were just meant to work behind the scenes. College was a lot different from high school, that was for sure!

She and Natalie didn't discuss the topic too far in depth. They spent the rest of their evening quietly. Natalie played with Mina in the common room and groomed her. Kirby finished decorating her room, plastering the ceiling with glow-in-the-dark stars and planets. Now it felt a little more like home. She looked at the clock—9:00 pm.

"What do you say to waking up early and exploring the campus tomorrow?" Kirby asked, poking her head out the door to smile at Natalie.

"That sounds like a great idea." Natalie said quietly, "I wanted to check out the Medical Center."

"And I can't wait to see the Science Building!" Kirby said eagerly, "I hear there's a planetarium, a greenhouse, _and _a museum! It's gonna be super cool!"

Natalie smiled politely, but didn't seem to share Kirby's enthusiasm. She blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed for letting her inner nerd show. Sometimes she just got carried away. With that, she muttered a quick good night and shut the door to her room.

Kirby climbed into bed, snuggling into the cool covers. Then she plucked The Bible off her nightstand and opened it up to a bookmarked page to read her favorite verses. She flipped through them for a long while, her eyelids feeling heavier with each passing minute.

'_For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,' _She thought sleepily, _What a nice verse._

Kirby ended her nightly reading on that pleasant note. Then she turned off the lights and lay down, looking at the soft glow of the stars above her. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and folded her hands.

"Heavenly Father, I thank you for this wonderful opportunity to attend such a prestigious and renowned school. I thank you for blessing me with the talents I needed to make it this far in life; truly, I owe it all to you.

I ask that you forgive me of my sins. Please give me the strength to do all that I can in my classes, help me to make friends easily, and help others discover your light. More than anything…please just let it be a safe and unforgettable school year. One I can look back on in my declining years and smile at.

Amen."


	4. Freshmen Orientation

**And now the event you've all been waiting for: Freshmen Orientation. We also get to find out the layout of the campus. And honestly, I can't help but imagine a replica of my own college in my head. :P Perhaps I'll try and draw a map of this one sometime. I still need to get around to drawing the guys but I've been extremely busy with a job, an internship, writing other stories, and playing the new Animal Crossing game. :P Don't expect fast updates.  
**

**Oops, almost forgot. Go vote for who you think will die in the first murder, mwahaha! I'm giving you two votes cause I'm nice! But don't expect two votes for when it comes time to guess the culprit. :)**

When Robin woke up that morning, the first thing he did was hop on the computer to check the stock market. But the Internet still refused to work. Robin resisted the urge to smack his face repeatedly on his desk. This was beyond frustrating.

_On the bright side, that overbearing mother of mine has no way to get in contact with me, _He thought. This added a skip to his step as he showered and dressed for the day. It was fairly early and the Dining Commons were empty, thankfully. At least until a certain pair of ladies came walking in. He recognized them as the fashion-challenged roommates that had sat separate from everyone else at dinner last night.

Robin averted his eyes, hoping they would leave him to eat his pancakes in peace. Apparently, he was giving off the 'I'm lonely, come talk to me' vibe because Kirby came right over after she served herself. Natalie followed right behind.

"Hello," She said in a pleasant voice.

"Good morning!" Robin returned cheerfully.

"Do you mind if we sit with you?" Her smile was so open and friendly that Robin didn't have the heart to turn her down.

He laughed and waved a hand, saying, "No, no, not at all! I enjoy entertaining company so early in the morning." Sarcasm easily seeped into his tone, destroying his façade.

Kirby didn't seem to notice. "Oh, you do? I'm glad."

Natalie watched Robin carefully, trying to get a read on him. He seemed nice enough, but she could see how he kept shooting furtive glances at her odd appearance. She tried to disregard this and asked, "Sorry for asking again, but what was your Super College Level…?"

"Entrepreneur." Robin answered, sipping steaming coffee from his mug.

"Oh!" Kirby said, "No wonder it sounds like you're trying to sell us something."

Robin blinked. His friendly smile faltered. "You say I'm…what?"

"She didn't mean anything by it," Natalie said quickly.

Kirby just tilted her head, wondering what she said. "It wasn't an insult, it was just an observation. I'm sorry."

Robin's cheeks turned redder than they already were. He forced a laugh, "Ahh, no, it's fine. I'd better get going." He stood up.

"Where are you going?" Kirby asked, looking hurt.

"I was planning to explore the campus." Robin said airily. "So I guess I'll see you—"

"So were we!" Natalie exclaimed.

"Can we come with you?" Kirby asked.

Once again, Robin found himself unable to say no. He slowly sunk back into his seat, saying, "Of course you can!" On the inside, he felt disappointed he would not be going alone. The presence of other people always seemed to sap his energy. While the two girls finished eating, he downed another cup of coffee to prepare for the long trek.

The morning was a bit chilly. The minutes ticked by slowly as the three students plodded on the sidewalks to each building. Natalie had brought a campus map with her that highlighted all of the important features. Most of the buildings were locked, but it was nice to discover the layout of their new home.

On the northern end of campus were the dorms and the Dining Commons. The upperclassmen dorm was locked along with the second floor of the commons and two floors of their own dorm. Otherwise, they only had access to the cafeteria, the first two floors, and the basement. The basement contained a lounge, a laundry room, and vending machines.

To the west was a large Rec Center, but this was locked as well.

"Isn't this where Freshmen Orientation is going to be later?" Kirby wondered, trying the door once more.

"Yeah, at noon." Natalie said, "Let's hope they unlock it."

Other buildings to the south were devoted to studies. Some combined majors—law and business shared a building, as did science and engineering. A new engineering building was being constructed not far from the dorms, right outside of a woodsy area with thickly spread conifers. The building was only half-finished and there wasn't a single worker in the area. It emitted an ominous air. The group of three moved on quickly.

Aside from that, there was the Arts Building, the Medical Center, and a Communications Building. There was even a church. Kirby approached it excitedly, only to find it locked like the others. She couldn't have looked more disappointed.

"Don't worry, miss!" Robin chirped, giving her a cheery grin, "I'm sure everything will unlock tomorrow!"

They visited the Football Stadium afterwards, which was rather grand. It was on the outskirts of campus, along with a secluded power plant—the source of the school's electricity. There was also a tall, white water tower.

Their final destination was Old Fortune itself. Beautiful flower gardens and stately trees decorated the front lawn. There was even a finely landscaped pond with a trickling waterfall. A flock of ducks paddled through the water while Painted turtles basked on rocks.

Natalie could barely contain her excitement. She walked right up to the water's edge and held out her hand. The ducks swam over like she was some sort of animal whisperer, letting out soft, begging quacks. She giggled as one nibbled her finger, wondering where the food was.

Robin and Kirby sat together on a bench, watching Natalie enjoy herself. Robin felt rather awkward with the silence between them. He glanced repeatedly at his watch.

"Oh, would you look at the time? We'd better get going!"

Kirby gave a small gasp. "Is it time for orientation already?"

Robin stood up, wringing his hands. "Yes, yes, and we don't want to be late!"

Reluctantly, Natalie parted ways from the pond. They walked all the way back to the northwest side of campus that contained the Rec Building. Outside, a small group was congregating. Alistair, Grant, Asui, Elaine, and Karah were already there. Carter came walking up at the same time.

"I'm not late, am I?" He asked, "I was exploring the campus."

"So were we!" Kirby said happily, "Did you see the duck pond?"

Carter's expression brightened. "No, I must have passed over it. I'll have to check it out later."

"Where is everyone?" Grant interrupted impatiently, "And why doesn't someone unlock the door already?"

As if in the response, there was a loud _click_. Everyone looked at the door in surprise. Robin checked his watch—it was 12:00 on the nose.

Grant grinned. "Sweet, I'm psychic. Let's go in!" He charged through the door before anyone could stop him.

The others exchanged a glance and followed him. Signs pointed them down the hall, in the direction of the meeting place. They passed workout rooms seen through big glass windows and racquetball courts. Grant took in the sights hungrily, hoping he could find a sport-loving friend besides Blake.

Finally, they came to a set of double doors. A bold sign read, "In here, bastards!"

Asui saw it and laughed. Kirby couldn't believe her eyes. "What a mean joke! Who would put this here?" She said, looking concerned. She reached forward to tear the sign off, but Grant was already pushing past her to open the door. Inside was a spacious basketball gymnasium, complete with jumbotrons and bleachers. It seemed far too big for a measly amount of 16 students. Even with their arrival, it still felt empty and silent.

"This place really does grant good luck!" Grant declared, his loud voice echoing all around them, "This is the first time I've ever shown up early to an event. Ha!"

"Thanks for sharing," Asui groaned. She found Grant incredibly annoying. Just his fashion sense was enough to grate on her nerves.

While Grant marveled at everything, the others quietly took their seats in the lowest area of bleachers. Other students began to arrive and a few minutes later, everyone had situated themselves.

"Wow!" Gustav gushed, filling the gym with his loud presence, "It's so big in here! Do you think all of the teachers are gonna pop out and surprise us? Oh, this is gonna be so cool. I'm so ready for this!"

Karah listened from nearby, unable to share his enthusiasm. The air was heavy with anticipation. She had a bad feeling deep within her gut. Something wasn't right…

Upon looking at the other faces around her, she could tell others shared this sentiment. She opened her mouth for voice her worries, but then a magnified voice filled every corner of the gym.

"Welcome, new students! Welcome to St. Fortuna's University!"

Party balls on the ceiling opened up, releasing tons of confetti. The jumbotrons sprang to life to show the faces of the students and upbeat music began to play. Reeta and Gustav began jumping up and down, squealing. Blake grinned at his image, used to having it blown up on jumbotrons. Natalie hid her face, embarrassed.

In the excitement, no one noticed a small black and white shape appear in front of them. Only when the confetti stopped falling did it become visible. The students quieted, looking curiously at the new arrival. It was quite possibly the strangest thing they had ever seen. It was a plump bear, half-white, half-black. Half of its face was cute enough, but the other half was curled into a sneer and had one blazing red eye. It stood completely still while the students stared at it blankly, waiting for something to happen.

Reeta's carefree voice broke the silence. "Oh, wow, what an adorable panda! At least I think it's a panda."

"I'm no panda! I'm Monobear!" The strange bear burst out, throwing up its stubby arms. Its voice was grating on the ears and sounded rather childish.

Charlie frowned. "Just what are you, exactly? Definitely can't be a puppet; you look way too chipper to have a fist up your sphincter. Is someone controlling you?"

"Hi Monobear!" Gustav called, waving happily. "Are you the mascot?"

Monobear's permanent grin didn't waver, as he responded, "No, I'm the Dean. I run this school."

There was a soft chuckle among students at the joke, as everyone was convinced this was just a little kid in a costume. What else could he be?

"I'm serious, you bastards." Monobear said, his red eye flashing. Everyone quieted. "Anyways, I'm here to welcome you to the school! You bastards are some of the nation's most talented teenagers. With your skill, you bring hope to our slowly deteriorating world. Not that that's anything to be proud of—we're all going to die someday, one way or another."

As Monobear made his speech, everyone couldn't help but share confused glances. This was not the sort of welcome they were expecting.

"This pep talk is seriously lacking in pep." Blake mumbled, creasing his brow.

"I heard that!" Monobear growled. "You know, you should exercise silence when the Dean is talking. Or else I'll cut your tongue out! Upupu!"

"Hey!" Kirby cried out, unable to contain herself any longer, "That's really rude. You shouldn't use that sort of language or threaten us! We're—"

"What? I'm just trying to connect with you on a personal level. I hear teenagers use this language all the time." Monobear said instantly, bringing his paws up to his mouth and giggling.

"That doesn't mean this is the appropriate setting for it," Kirby lectured, beginning to rise to her feet, "If this is how St. Fortuna's treats its students, then I'm leaving."

"You can't leave." Monobear said flatly.

Kirby froze, staring at the strange little bear. "Excuse me?"

"If you would just sit down and listen, I'll get to that in a moment!" Monobear snapped.

Slowly, Kirby lowered herself back into her seat. Natalie was looking very scared beside her, tears shining in her eyes. She was ready to bolt, but remained where she was as Monobear began lecturing them once more.

"I expect better of college students, but I suppose it can't be helped. The reason you can't leave is…the semester is not yet over!"

Silence followed his words.

"Oh, and there are automatic machine guns positioned outside of the school walls that will shoot you if you try to escape. That too."

At once, everyone began talking.

"I thought those were to protect us!" Teresa declared shrilly.

"This isn't fair!" Noah shouted, "I wanted to go hiking!"

"Why won't you let us leave?" Charlie demanded, "Don't you know who I am?! I'm Charlie gently caressin' Marc!"

"There is a way to leave!" Monobear said quickly, speaking into a microphone so that he drowned out all other voices, "You graduate!"

"Of course," Elaine said softly, "But why can't we go visit our families on weekends?"

"Let me finish," Monobear said, his voice rising in anticipation, "Graduation isn't passing your classes or making it to the end of the school year. Starting today, at St. Fortuna's, it's something completely different."

Monobear paused, waiting for the students to ask what. When they didn't, he decided to tell it bluntly.

"If you ever want to leave here, you must commit a murder and get away with it."

Dead silence. No one moved or even breathed. Most of them still entertained the idea that this was a joke…just a very poorly executed joke that was not funny at all.

Monobear seemed almost disappointed with the lack of response. But he continued, "This is what I like to call a School Life of Mutual Killing. From now on, you will live out your miserable lives in the walls of this university. If you wish to leave, you must kill one of your classmates. There will be an investigation period and a trial following the murder. If the culprit is found guilty, they will be executed in the most delightful fashion. If the innocent fail to condemn the culprit, then he or she will go free…and everyone _else _will be executed." Monobear's grin stretched wider, revealing sharp teeth.

Grant didn't seem too worried. "That sounds fun. But why are we acting this stuff out if I'm the only SCL Forensic Scientist here?"

"I'm a prosecutor," Teresa reminded him, "But I don't see how this scenario applies to other majors."

Monobear was fuming silently. "You just don't get it, do you? Luckily, I prepared a little video to convince you that this is 100% real. St. Fortuna's isn't the only school to take on this new lifestyle—it's becoming a trend all around the world. Look…"

The images on the jumbotrons faded. Everyone turned his or her attention upwards, wondering what would happen next. A moment later, a new picture appeared on the screen. The quality was terrible and showed a high angle shot of a bedroom. A young-looking girl with dark blue hair was standing near the edge of the screen, a knife in her hands. Her eyes were wide and unseeing; the pointed weapon shook in her fist.

Suddenly, a boy with spiky orange hair and multiple piercings appeared and the bedroom exploded into the scene of a fight. The girl was attempting to stab the boy—but he fought back with some kind of sword. A silent scream parted from the girl's lips as the sword struck her wrist. There was no sound, adding to the spine-chilling effect of the video.

They tussled for another minute, dodging on and off the screen. The injured girl proceeded to flee into the bathroom and slam the door. The boy pounded on the door for a good long while, his face contorted with rage. Then, he whipped around and left the scene.

"Let's fast forward…" Monobear mused.

The students watched helplessly as the scene skipped ahead. The boy had returned and was using tools to open the locked door. Once it was open, he disappeared inside. They could barely see him on the other side of the wall…but they could see his knife-wielding hand draw back and then plunge forward. Specks of blood flew forth, barely visible.

Monobear stopped the video. "And there you have it!" He said in a chipper voice, "I guess that means you guys aren't as special as you thought you were. But I had to make my point somehow, didn't I?"

"Please," Libra said, speaking up for the first time, "That was incredibly low-budget. Even the blood looked fake! You're going to have to try harder if you want us to believe something so ridiculous."

Charlie snapped his fingers. "I've got it. This is some new-fangled form of hazing, isn't it?"

"That's illegal!" Teresa said heatedly, glaring at Monobear, "What you're doing is illegal."

"Hazing's illegal?" Blake said, his jaw dropping. "Well, shoot…everyone on my football team always did it to the freshmen…"

Asui muttered some snide remark under her breath.

Monobear just stood there, his head slowly rotating as he looked at each student in turn. Then he lowered his eyes, looking dejected. "I can see nothing I say will convince you. Perhaps we'll just have to go over the rules later, once you're used to this new lifestyle. In the meantime, I urge you to check out the measures I have taken to keep you from escaping. Take note of the fact that there is no way to get in contact with the outside world. Look for the tiny security cameras hidden all around you. I have no other proof to show you, so that will have to suffice for now."

Everyone seemed relieved that this odd assembly was just about through. Most had accepted Charlie's idea that this was just some kind of freshmen initiation ritual. Everyone was probably hiding behind the scenes, laughing at them, especially the upperclassmen. But a few were still incredibly nervous, believing it to be real.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Monobear gasped, throwing his arms up, "I nearly forgot! I have a little surprise prepared for you."

"No more surprises…" Karah begged, looking desperate.

Monobear cackled, "Oh, come on, I think you'll really like this one. I'm throwing a 'Welcome to College' party for you all! It'll be on the second floor of the Dining Commons, complete with alcohol of course. I want you bastards to have the full college experience before getting murdered or executed!"

Charlie and Grant exchanged an eager grin.

"We're too young to drink." Kirby protested.

"Hon, that's never stopped anyone." Charlie snorted.

Carter ignored the others, mumbling, "There's no way I'm going to that."

"Well too bad!" Monobear growled, "It's mandatory! Dinner isn't being served today so if you want to eat, you'll have to come to the party. Remember to bring your IDs! Your favorite bear will be there as a bouncer at 9 pm sharp."

"Are you through yet?" Alistair asked, glowering at the mischievous bear.

"Yes." Monobear said quite happily, "I wish you all the best of luck! Enjoy your new School Life of Mutual Killing." He threw up his arms and music began playing. Confetti once again fell from the ceiling and Monobear disappeared as easily as he had arrived.

Natalie could no longer contain her tears. "I want to go home!" She sobbed, hiding her face in her hands, "I'm so scared. Why would the school do this to us? I want to leave!"

Despite sharing Natalie's fear, Kirby tried her best to comfort her. Teresa stepped in to help as well, consoling Natalie that all of this was just some kind of sick joke.

Robin sat nearby, listening. Natalie was being ridiculous. There was no way this could be true. Still, he admired how Kirby had stood up for her beliefs against the so-called "Dean."

Karah and Elaine quickly left the scene. Karah was nearly having a panic attack, but Elaine tried to speak sense to her. "They can't get away with this," She told her confidently, "It's impossible. Someone on the outside will surely come for us if we can't get in contact with our families."

"What if it's the terrorists?" Karah said, rounding on her roommate.

Elaine had a bad feeling in her stomach. "The terrorists?"

"Yeah. It was on the news for a while, but then everything went oddly silent. Don't you find that strange?" Karah said, speaking very quickly, "What if we're involved in something really terrible?"

Carter happened to be passing by. He paused to add his two cents. "Don't you think we would have heard about it if the terrorists had reached America?"

"Right," Alistair said, appearing beside them, "I wouldn't worry about it."

"Wrong." Libra said, jumping into the conversation as well, "The media is full of lies. They wouldn't want to spark a panic. I don't believe a word of what Monobear says," Her eyes gleamed with mischief, "Then again, wouldn't it be cool if it were true? It's like being thrust into a movie." She walked away smirking, leaving the others feeling nervous.

"I'm so psyched for this party!" Grant told Charlie as the two left the gymnasium alongside Blake and Reeta, "I can't believe they're giving us booze. This is the best school ever."

Blake grinned, "This is gonna be sweet."

Asui just rolled her eyes as she followed behind them. Noah was with her, his mind already elsewhere. He didn't believe in the mutual killing, but he was pretty angry school officials didn't plan to let them leave.

One by one, everyone filed out. When the last person, Gustav, stepped outside, the door locked behind him with final _click_, as if it were sealing the fate of each and every student. For just as Monobear had warned, a new School Life of Mutual Killing was about to descend on St. Fortuna's University.


	5. The Party

**SAHFJHAKHKFJGDKSDLKHDJSFKLAHFDK OMG OMG! The Dangan Ronpa anime comes out this week, I don't really know when, but I'm so excited! ;A; So let's celebrate with a chapter! While we're at it, let's check out the poll results. I was pleasantly surprised at the verdict and I'm kind of wondering everyone's reasoning. I wonder who got it right…? Anyways, the next poll is up: who is the first culprit? If you get it wrong, you get executed. Just kidding! I wouldn't execute any of you! Just your characters! ^_^  
**

**1****st Alistair and Blake with 3 votes (and Wiley...but he's not important)  
**

**2nd Elaine, Libra, Asui, Grant, and Karah with 2 votes**

**3rd Noah, Kirby, Robin, Carter, Natalie, Teresa, and Reeta with 1 vote**

**4th Gustav and Charlie with 0 votes**

**So that's who you think is gonna cake the bucket first. Yes...cake. Mmm. Enjoy this chapter! :)**

"_New-fangled form of hazing." Yeah right._

Charlie knew that wasn't true. He had only said it to calm the others—panic would get them nowhere. But he knew what they were up against. He was 99.314% sure that the terrorists had to be behind this. Besides, how would you explain all of the hauntingly familiar technology that surrounded them…?

BANG!

Charlie flinched as something crashed into his door. He stopped pacing the length of his room and stood absolutely still, convinced someone was outside, plotting to murder him. But it was far too soon. Who would actually fall for Monobear's request? And why would they target _him _of all people?

He was preparing to think up reasons to convince his killer he was too valuable to off. But then a familiar voice whined, "Ow, I hit my head! Mr. Engineer, why would you lock your door? The School Life of Mutual Killing hasn't even started yet! Or has it?" A loud cackle filled the room.

Grimacing, Charlie opened the door and came face to face with Monobear. The little robot had on his usual wide grin, but there was a dent on his smooth forehead. He rubbed the back of his head with a paw, embarrassed.

"I hurt my head and it's all your fault!" Monobear accused, turning away dramatically.

"Whatever," Charlie rolled his eyes, "Why are you out and about running around anyways? And how did you know I was here?"

"The camera in your room, of course!" Monobear giggled. "And I just wanted to drop by to say thank you! But now I want an apology because the vision component of this thing could have much better quality."

Charlie cringed slightly and cast an uncertain glance at Noah's door. It appeared to be dark and unoccupied. Still, he didn't want Monobear bringing this up now.

"Just get out of here!" Charlie said quickly, glaring at Monobear, "I don't want anything to do with you and don't start thanking me in front of the others, you corrupt little heap of wires!"

"How rude!" Monobear growled, looking steamed, "I'm a state-of-the-art piece of technology and you know it!"

But Charlie had already slammed the door in his face.

Monobear remained outside for another minute, whining about how that was no way to treat the Dean. He taunted him as well, laughing, "You sure are a good actor, Charlie. 'Just what are you? Some kind of puppet?' Maybe you and Mr. Evernott should _both _be Super College Level Actors."

As much as it pained him to do so, Charlie remained silent. Monobear was a creepy little troll and would not harm his ego. He was better than him. He would not respond to his jibes.

Eventually, Monobear gave up and went away. Only then did Charlie let out a sigh of relief.

* * *

Teresa wasn't quite sure what to believe.

Part of her scoffed at Monobear's words. Something like this just wasn't possible. But what college would send their students through such an awful initiation sequence? Did St. Fortuna's feel justified in doing so, since it was such a prestigious school? Surely no adult would ever allow for such a thing…

This is what led her to believe it, deep down. When the others formed a small group to go check out the wall, she didn't accompany them. Instead, she decided to seek out Asui. She hadn't gotten a chance to properly talk with her yet. And given the situation, she would have liked to reacquaint with her now more than ever.

She found Asui outside the dorms in the grassy quad. She sat on a bench with Noah as he strummed on a ukulele.

"I wrote this next song myself," Noah bragged, like he was some sort of badass rockstar. He began plucking the strings with fervor as Asui half-heartedly listened.

She was watching the explorer group, who were walking alongside the wall not far off. Reeta had practically begged her and Noah to join them, but they declined. Asui wasn't a huge fan of hers. She was probably just wearing that short skirt to get the attention of men. _What a warped society… _Asui thought, annoyed, _Women who only aim to please men set the feminist movement back a hundred years. Hmph._

"Hi Asui!" Teresa interrupted, coming right over to the two of them. "Hi Mr. Environmentalist."

Noah cut off his song and looked at Teresa coolly. "Hey." He said, not bothering to hide the fact he was annoyed.

Asui, however, was quick to point it out. "You interrupted him." She said bluntly.

"Sorry," Teresa apologized quickly, "I just wanted to talk to you. Can we go over there?"

"No. Stay here and say what you have to say." Asui decided.

"…Do you two know each other?" Noah asked with a yawn, providing the three of them with a soft, easy-going soundtrack.

Teresa merely smiled. When Asui didn't say anything, she provided the details for Noah. "Growing up, we were very close, but I suppose we drifted apart over the years as many people are apt to do. We had a rather explosive end to our friendship that we could never mend, due to the fact that my family moved."

Asui cringed, careful not to look towards Teresa's eyes, which were forever concealed by those pink sunglasses. She waited for her to delve into the gritty details, but she didn't.

"I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry that happened and I forgive you." Teresa said solemnly, much to her surprise. "I don't want things to be awkward between us from here on out."

Asui looked up, feeling strangely suspicious. She clung tightly to grudges—that was just the sort of person she was. And she would never forget the way their friendship deteriorated after reaching middle school. She got into her art and music; she clearly remembered Teresa calling her new interests "emo" and gossiping about her. It was a rough time for her.

Despite feeling this way, she kept it all to herself and muttered an acknowledgement. Teresa waited for an apology or perhaps more forgiveness, but it never came. So she said a quick goodbye to each of them and wandered off.

"What was that all about?" Noah wondered, looking rather bored.

"Nothing." Asui replied, suppressing a scowl, "I'm going to grab my guitar. Do you want to play a duet?"

Noah grinned lazily. "Let's do it."

* * *

Alistair, Blake, Gustav, Grant, and Reeta formed a small group to walk around campus. Most of the others were either antisocial or wanted to remain indoors the rest of the day, thoroughly disturbed by their welcoming. Ignorance was bliss, after all. But they couldn't remain ignorant for long, and this group was well aware of it.

As Alistair walked around the outer perimeter, he constantly kept a hand on the wall, as if searching for a weak spot or a hidden escape route. Grant had already attempted to scale the wall, but the barbed wire all along the top put him off. The stretch of wire ended at the barred front gate, which their parents had driven through upon arrival. But now, it was closed and towered over them, preventing escape.

"It's locked." Alistair stated, pushing firmly on the gate. On the outside stood two strange contraptions. They appeared to be very high-tech and were trained towards the group.

"Are those...machine guns?" Gustav gasped dramatically.

Reeta gave a choked cry and clapped her hands to her mouth. "No way! Those are just decorations, right? Teresa said something about those being there to protect us!"

"If you'll recall Monobear's little speech, you'd know the true purpose of those is to keep us in." Alistair stated, observing the guns through the bars calmly.

"Eh. I still think it's a sham!" Grant drawled.

Reeta turned to Blake for his opinion. He appeared completely befuddled by everything that was happening. Before he could say what was on his mind, a black and white shape came hurtling out of nowhere.

"Hey!" Monobear yapped, pushing himself right into their ranks, "You bastards aren't thinking about escaping, are you?!"

"Stop calling us that!" Reeta snapped, firing up at the sight of the little bear, "Do you even know what that word means?"

Monobear turned to Reeta and said in an emotionless voice, "Of course I do. I'm the Dean of St. Fortuna's. I think I know what bastard means, you little bastard."

Reeta trembled furiously. "Yanno, if you weren't an adorable stuffed bear, I would punch your cute cotton face in!"

"I still say he's the mascot." Gustav said, bounding forward to try and poke Monobear.

He growled and waved him away with a paw.

Blake finally spoke up in his deep voice. "So…you're not letting us leave?"

"We already established that!" Monobear snarled impatiently, "But I suppose now is the time to give you the full tour: what you have here are my automatic machine guns. They're positioned all along the outside of the walls, ready to detect the presence of any escapees and shoot them down!"

"But what if our parents drive in for a visit?" Blake asked.

"Let me finish! If you somehow manage to make it past the barbed wire and out of range of the machine guns, I've got some mines planted in the ground. I kind of forgot where I put them, so I would appreciate anyone who helps me locate them!"

"Really?" Blake cut in again, his eyes hopeful, "If we locate the mines for you, will you let us leave?"

A long silence stretched between the six of them. Monobear just stared at them wordlessly. Finally he growled, "I'm leaving. Mr. Scientist!" He rounded on said student.

Grant flinched. "Me?"

"Yes you! Your first assignment is to explain the concept of sarcasm to Mr. Football Star. Got it?"

"Got it." Grant mumbled. The five of them watched Monobear flounce away, each wondering where he was off to now. Only when he was out of sight did Alistair speak up.

"Joke or not…" He said solemnly, once again reaching forward to test the gate, "I don't think we'll be leaving here anytime soon."

"But you're a magician!" Gustav said, his eyes wide, "Can't you just wave your arms and poof us to freedom?"

Alistair gave Gustav a withering look, wondering if his roommate was serious. When he didn't say otherwise, he responded gravely, "If only life were that simple. But no…I cannot. In the end, magic is only a trick of the eyes; a fantastic product of our imagination."

Grave silence followed his words. He was right: real or not real, it didn't matter. For the time being, they were trapped and there was no way to get in contact with the outside world.

"Hey!" Blake said, speaking up suddenly with an excited grin, "So who's ready to party tonight?"

* * *

The rest of the day passed by quickly. Night fell and conifer trees cast their long shadows on dimly-lit sidewalks. Almost every building was shrouded in darkness, except for the tiny corner of the campus that contained the dorms and the Dining Commons. All was quiet, but the air buzzed with anticipation as time ticked by.

Robin and Blake were the first ones to arrive to the party that night, a little bit before 9 PM. They scaled the steps and found Monobear waiting outside the ballroom in a ridiculous blue suit and red tie, ready to serve as bouncer. Robin stopped in his tracks at the sight of him.

"That creepy thing's still running around?" He asked warily.

"Yup." Blake said, walking up with no hesitation. "Hey, can we go in?"

Monobear stood completely still for a long moment, that permanent sneer etched on his face. He did not respond.

Robin felt a chill creep up his spine. Perhaps the person controlling him had stepped out for a coffee break? If he was controlled by someone at all. Before Robin could ponder what he was any further, Monobear sprang back to life.

"You're early!" He chastised.

"We're hungry." Robin replied evenly, glaring at Monobear. He didn't bother acting polite; there was no way this ridiculous bear was the Dean of this school.

Monobear sighed. "Fine, fine. IDs?"

Both Blake and Robin had remembered to bring their IDs and showed them to the bear-bouncer. He studied them for a long moment and even brought up the notion that they might be fake.

Robin looked at him incredulously. "You're joking."

"Yup! I am!" Monobear said cheerily, "You can go on in."

Without another word, Robin and Blake entered. Inside they found a spacious room complete with a dance floor, a lounge, and buffet tables that resembled those in the cafeteria. Once again, they were free to serve themselves. Blake headed right on over to the punch table and found a large cooler that had a frosty mist surrounding it. He took a deep whiff, drinking in the smell of cold beer.

"Aw yeah!" Blake cheered, bobbing his head from side to side, "I found the good stuff!"

Robin opened up the cooler and grimaced at its contents. "More like the cheap stuff. Is this the best they could afford?"

Nevertheless, the two boys snatched up a few bottles of beer. Then they made themselves comfortable in the lounge area and watched the others start to arrive. Somehow, they got on the topic of girls and began criticizing every female that walked in.

Blake said the same thing about every single one: "She's cute."

Each time, Robin shot the girl down by nitpicking something about her appearance: Reeta's outfit is too revealing, Kirby's is too matronly, Teresa is too pale, Karah has braces…

"What about her?" Blake said, nodding towards Libra as she wandered in.

"Her arms are too long," Robin replied instantly, "If she were hairier, I might mistake her for a gorilla."

"Ouch. That's rough." Blake sighed, but a good-natured smile remained on his face, "You know, you're never gonna land a girl if you keep being so picky."

Robin's mouth pressed into a thin line. "Hmph." Blake added something else after that, but Robin quickly became distracted as he noticed Libra had a large, black bag strapped around her shoulder. Suspicion welled up from within. _What did she bring to the party?_

Blake suddenly slapped him on the back, causing him to flinch. "Welp, I'll see ya later little buddy!" He said gruffly, beginning to head off towards the buffet where everyone was gathering. "I'm gonna go get to know some of the girls you dissed."

"Do you mean 'get to know them' or y'know…_get to know them_?" Robin asked with narrowed eyes, thinking Blake's intentions to be dirty.

But Blake only stared at him, confused. "…Is there a difference?" He asked, his expression clear of guile.

Robin shook his head. "No, never mind what I said. Have a good time, my friend!"

"I will!" Blake said happily, marching right up to Reeta and starting a conversation with her.

The last one to arrive to the party was Grant, who Monobear had decided to give a hard time. Grant was desperate to get in, enviously eyeing the hot plates of food and jovial conversations shared over a cool beer. "Come on, let me in already!" He demanded, his voice rising. "I have my ID!"

"You have to be twenty-one to drink." Monobear said flatly. "And they're serving alcohol at this party."

"None of _them _are twenty-one!" Grant argued.

Monobear quickly thought up another excuse. "Well, it's a taco party in there. I need more sausage, more sausage!"

Grant just gaped at the mischievous little bear. "Are you kidding? I'm the definition of sausage! I…okay, that sounded wrong."

"I think this conversation is taking a turn for the PG-13." Monobear explained slowly, as if he were talking to a child, "Please cut it out or I'll have to ask you to leave."

"I'm eighteen!" Grant nearly exploded with frustration. Just when he seemed like he was about to give up and go home, Monobear let him in. He descended on the buffet hungrily, shoving past anyone who got in his way. Monobear mysteriously vanished after that, leaving the entryway empty, but no one noticed. They were all too busy eating.

"Let's leave as soon as we're done." Kirby reminded Natalie, "We're not going to play along with this sick game of Monobear's!"

Natalie nodded, only too happy to comply.

"You guys are leaving?" Carter asked, "Mind if I come with? I only came here for the food anyways…otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered to show." He would have much rather spent the night with a good book and a cup of cocoa.

"Of course you can come." Kirby replied, raising a finger in lecture. "Don't feel like you have to give into peer pressure! You're free to leave the party whenever you please."

Elaine and Karah were sitting nearby and overheard the conversation. "Should we leave with them?" Elaine asked her roommate quietly, hoping she would say yes. She knew Karah was stressing about what Monobear had said. Maybe she would enjoy a quiet evening back in the dorm.

But Karah was feeling exactly the opposite. The party was exactly what she needed at the moment; the alcohol would take the edge off her worries. "Sorry, Elaine, but I think I'm gonna stay a while. You should stay too! Come out of your shell and get to know everyone a little more."

"I…I…" Elaine nearly argued, but she realized Karah was right. She was a psychologist and therefore, she should be a people person. Her parents were always telling her to socialize a little bit more. With a heavy sigh she said, "Okay. I'll try."

Right after dinner, Kirby, Natalie, and Carter headed on out. A few people said goodbye to them, but remained at the party. Once dinner had been cleaned up, the lights dimmed and music began to pump out of the speakers. Some teenagers drank heavily, becoming more spirited as they welcomed alcohol into their systems. Others didn't drink at all or only had a single cup they sipped delicately at.

Libra was one of the kids that chose to remain sober. When she noticed the college students around her were starting to get rowdy, she zipped open her bag and pulled out her expensive-looking camera.

Robin noticed her fiddling with it. _Uh-oh. Time to leave, _He thought, gathering up a few bottles of beer to take back to his room. He was about to slink away, but then he thought, _No. No more keeping quiet. I'm going to say something!_

He walked right up to Libra and tapped her on the shoulder. "Yeah?" She whipped around, angling the camera right at him.

His eyes widened as he realized she was filming him. A little red light told him so. "Stop that!" He snapped, forcing the lens away from him, "Don't you know you shouldn't have your camera in such a setting? You could ruin everyone's professional reputation!"

A huge grin stretched across Libra's face. "That's the point." Then she leveled the camera up to her eyes and began filming a drunken group of her peers, smiling all the while.

So much for that. Robin gave up and walked away, glancing at his watch as he went. He was leaving the party a little earlier than he liked, but he didn't want his reputation being spoiled by some fiendish little girl.

Libra remained where she was, turning the camera on at random intervals. Blake, Charlie, Grant, Teresa, and Reeta seemed to be participating in some sort of race to see who could get smashed the fastest. When Gustav saw Libra wielding the camera, he approached her with a wide grin.

She groaned inwardly as he made his way over. Lugging around a large camera was always a risk for attention, but it was one she had to take. She fingered the record button, wondering if Gustav would be worth it. But once he reached her, he struck a pose and declared, "Make sure you get my good side!"

Suddenly, Libra felt determined not to film at all. She let the camera fall limp by her side. "I'm not filming right now." She lied blatantly.

"Oh wait!" Gustav giggled, completely ignoring her, "_Both _sides are my good sides! Right, Lumey?"

"How many times have I told you?" Libra said, her patience already wearing thin, "Call me _Libra_. Please."

A quiet awe suddenly descended over Gustav. He inched closer to Libra and grabbed her hand, saying in a hushed voice, "But you're not really a Libra, _are you_?" Before she could respond, Gustav turned to the others and screamed, "Hey everyone! Libra's not really a Libra! She's a Virgo!"

Most of the others didn't look over. Karah did and giggled, "Oh no, Libra is a lie!"

"I think you've had enough to drink." Libra mumbled, looking away from the others.

Gustav squeezed her gloved hand tightly, his face flushed red. "I'm gonna throw you the best party ever, when it's your birthday. Hey! Why do you only wear one glove?"

_So I don't have to get your disgusting germs all over my hand. _"It makes handling the camera easier…among other things."

Gustav didn't respond and began bugging Libra to film him. She obediently aimed the camera in his direction, but didn't press record and Gustav didn't notice the lens cap was on. Only after he bounced away did Libra return to business.

Asui knew exactly what her roommate was trying to achieve and kept careful watch on her, always making sure she was out of the shot. She stayed with Noah, each clutching a plastic cup filled with cheap beer. Noah was a bright cherry red and kept shouting random things such as, "Save the whales!" Asui just rolled her eyes and humored him.

Meanwhile, Grant had descended on the dance floor, dragging a group of girls out there with him. Karah and Reeta kept up a continuous stream of giggling. Elaine, who had sipped the beer once and disliked it immediately, couldn't understand what was so funny. They began to dance alongside her, staggering to stay upright. Elaine tried to smile and move with them, but she was finding the task impossible. Being sober was no fun.

Elaine glanced over to the lounge area, thinking she would head over there. Charlie and Teresa were occupying one sofa, practically on top of one another in a heavy make out session. Libra was sitting in an armchair across from Blake, taping him as he pumped his fist and shouted, "Future Superbowl MVP right here! What _what_!"

On second thought, remaining on the dance floor seemed a better option. Suddenly, Grant knocked into Karah and sent her crashing into Elaine. The poor girl let out a yelp as she sprawled onto the floor.

"Lainey!" Karah squawked, clambering to her feet and helping her friend up. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault." Elaine said quickly, looking to Grant for an apology. But he was distracted by Reeta, trying to get up in her grill. For some reason, Elaine found her eyes welling up with tears. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fit in. She bit her lip and swallowed the lump in her throat. "I think I'm gonna go." She told Karah.

Karah searched Elaine's expression, understanding immediately. "Okay. Iffit's what you want," She said, her voice mildly slurred.

"Umm…" Elaine searched for words. She desperately wanted to ask Karah to accompany her back to the dorms. It was a short walk, but it was late, dark, and creepy outside. Especially with that Monobear running around. "Um, how late were you planning on staying?"

Karah's eyes roved over to where Grant was dancing with Reeta. "Mmm...A little longer," She decided. "D'you mind waiting?"

Elaine hesitated to answer. She wanted to leave _now_.

"I know!" Karah said, snapping her fingers, "Ask around and see if anyone else is leaving. You can walk back with them."

Elaine nodded awkwardly. "Okay."

"And make sure it's someone dependable, okay?" Karah said, grabbing Elaine's shoulder a little too roughly. She shot a suspicious glance in Charlie's direction. He was still kissing Teresa passionately, as if they had a longtime relationship under their belt. "I don't want anyone taking advantage of you!"

Considering she wasn't the one incapacitated by alcohol, Elaine didn't think she had much to worry about. And...she didn't think any of the boys would want her like that anyways. She forced a smile and said, "All right. You stay safe too, okay?"

"Sure." Karah grinned, but she seemed distracted. As soon as Elaine walked off, she jumped right back in and started dancing again. The night wore on and Karah continued to drink and dance. She hadn't ever consumed so much alcohol before and had the joy of discovering the fact that she was a lightweight. Different parts of the night became blank spaces in her mind. One moment, she'd be enjoying her new friends' company, the next she was keeled over in front of a toilet. As the hours flew by, the crowd of college kids seemed to thin slightly. It was past midnight when she finally decided enough was enough. It was time to go home.

By this time, the soberest people at the party were Libra and Alistair, who had managed to find each other. Alistair had carried around the same cup all night, sipping a little bit at a time, and retained all of his mental capabilities.

"I guess that means it's up to us to get everyone back to the dorm, hm?" Alistair sighed, letting his gaze drift towards the newfound alcoholics. "Or maybe we should just leave them here. There's a lesson to be learned from their lack of restraint."

Libra was inwardly squealing that she had found a guy as judgmental as herself. But she tried to remain calm and cool. "They don't deserve our help," She yawned, arching her back in a stretch, "Then again, we could work together to help them and then they would owe us!"

A small smirk wove its way across Alistair's face. "And how would they do that? They won't remember it tomorrow."

"I'll make them remember!" Libra declared, trying to appear tough. She smiled at Alistair hopefully, waiting for him to laugh or make another comment. But his attention was suddenly diverted.

Karah came lurching up to the two of them, blushing heavily. "Um, hi," She chattered, nervously running a hand through her disheveled hair, "Are you busy? Because I was thinking I wanted to go home now, but everyone's totally wasted except you and Glovegirl here so if it's not too much to ask do you think we could walk back together…? But if not, that's totally cool, I'll find someone else y'know, or I don't mind staying a little longer…" She rambled on for a full minute.

Alistair remained silent, waiting for her to finish. Libra just stared at Karah blankly, trying to understand her jumble of words. When she finally ran out of air, Alistair offered to take her home. Karah uttered a thank you and practically fell into his arms. He propped her up and began to lead her to the exit.

"…You're leaving?" Libra asked softly, watching them go.

Alistair paused. "I can't allow her to walk home by herself. Good luck with putting the others in your debt."

"But…I have to lug all of this equipment home _and _all of the drunkards?" Libra mumbled, fidgeting and avoiding his gaze.

Alistair didn't bother pointing out that she brought this upon herself, by hanging around with that camera so long. But he didn't have to. Libra seemed to realize it, said a hasty goodbye, and walked off.

As Karah took shaky steps toward the door, she glanced over her shoulder to see Libra sending a death glare her way. But only for a split second. The next moment, Libra was adjusting something on her camera, looking downcast. Karah quickly forgot the occurrence and focused on remaining upright with Alistair's guidance.

For some reason, Karah felt regret crash over her. _I'm such a failure! _She wailed inwardly.

Alistair cocked his head slightly to look at her. "Why do you think that?" He asked, eyebrows knitted with concern.

Karah gaped at him. "Did you just read my mind?"

"Excuse me?"

After a moment of thinking, Karah realized she had accidentally wailed, 'I'm such a failure!' out loud rather than to herself. She turned even redder than she already was and started giggling madly. But the giggling randomly turned to sobbing and tears flooded her eyes.

"Are you all right?" Alistair asked, wondering what on earth was happening to this girl.

As they stepped outside, Karah jolted to a halt. Alistair stopped with her. She stood there shakily with his arm around her, leaning over and letting tears drip down her face. "I think I'm gonna throw up again." She mumbled.

Alistair cringed, horrified. Vomit on his clothes? No thank you. "Let's sit down!" He suggested all too quickly, lowering Karah onto the ground. She let go of him and curled into a pathetic little ball on the sidewalk.

"I want to kill myself."

Alistair looked at Karah in astonishment, wondering how to respond to such a thing. For a long moment, he didn't.

Karah let out a sniffle. "I've tried to commit suicide before, you know. But it never took."

"…Why would you do such a thing?" Alistair asked softly, trying to sound sympathetic. He pondered if he should reach out and comfort her, but his hands were frozen where they were. Karah reminded him of a delicate china doll that would break at his touch. So he remained still and listened to her reply.

"My parents…they're never around…always working…" Karah sobbed, her story coming out in distorted chunks, "My brother raised me…never got to live his own life…all my fault…" She trailed off and remained silent for a long minute, snuffling quietly.

Alistair chose his words carefully. He was fairly certain the alcohol was talking for Karah, but it was a very fragile subject nonetheless. "Your brother must really care about you," He spoke softly, "You shouldn't throw away everything he's given you."

Karah didn't appear to have heard Alistair's advice. She murmured something about hating her Super College Level and failing to achieve her start at a brand new life. She worried that everyone would judge her and be a jerk to her for getting so drunk at the party.

Alistair didn't bother mentioning that he was one of the judgmental jerks. Instead, he brought up a different topic altogether. "I can relate, you know…" He sighed, "My parents and I aren't close at all. But for different reasons."

Karah lifted her head from the ground to look at Alistair. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was grimy. "…Huh?"

"My parents have never supported my interests and wish my focus only to remain on my grades. Not even when my illusions and fame got me into this school could they appreciate my talent." Alistair murmured, feeling rather ridiculous for sharing this with a stranger.

Karah only stared at him, uncomprehending.

"What I'm trying to say is that you're not alone," Alistair said quickly, trying to summon some sort of motivational message, "It's your life and sometimes you need to put yourself first."

Karah nodded.

"So no more talk of suicide, all right?"

Karah just kept nodding, but her eyes were glossed over.

Alistair sighed. "…Are you even listening anymore?"

Karah just grinned. "This makes my brain go all wobbly." She giggled weakly.

Alistair refrained from rolling his eyes and helped Karah back to her feet. "Let's get you home. You're drunk as a skunk."

This simile sent Karah into raucous fits of laughter. It was hard to believe she had been crying about her family life a minute ago. As they walked up to the dorm together, she asked over and over if skunks could really get drunk. Alistair didn't bother responding and opened the door with his ID card.

Once they were inside, he offered to walk her the short distance up the steps to her room. Karah waved her hand. "Nah, I got it from here!" She said jovially, smiling at Alistair, "You can go back to your room."

"Are you sure?" Alistair said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "It might not be safe—you never know what could be hiding in the shadows."

Karah felt butterflies battering at her stomach. _Wow, that sounded so mysterious! You're so hot…I kind of want to kiss you on the cheek as thanks, but I won't…_

"Please don't." Alistair said simply. Then he turned and calmly walked in the direction of his room.

Karah clapped her hands over her mouth with a muffled squeal. "Oops! I said that out loud again." She giggled, completely embarrassed. Still laughing, she lurched up the stairs to the second floor and made her way to her room.

For a full minute, she fumbled with her ID, clumsily trying to unlock the door. Everything seemed hysterical and she couldn't stop laughing. Finally, she forced herself to calm down enough to get the key in the slot. Then she opened the door.

As soon as she did, a metallic smell hit her nose and her eyes fell upon what lay in front of her. Blood. Dark red blood, pooling around Elaine's body, her eyes wide and sightless, staring straight into Karah's…

Karah opened her mouth to scream.

Before she could make a sound, a cold hand grasped her shoulder.

A searing pain cut across her throat.

Then nothing.


	6. Revelations

**I apologize in advance for knowing nothing about forensics and being too lazy to research Super College Levels. I would also like to apologize for having any holes in this whole setup. Just know that writing an elaborate murder mystery with so many characters is fairly difficult...I might have bit off more than I can chew with this first case. But I just wanted it to be chock full of evidence and stuff. I only hope it's easier to read than it is to write. ^^'  
**

**Oh hey how about that first episode of Dangan Ronpa? You can tell the people adapting the anime are working really hard to keep it just like the game. And they're doing an excellent job of it. I'm super psyched for the next episode!**

Robin woke up with a headache that morning. He had taken a few bottles of beer back to his room last night and drank to his heart's content. He wasn't sure it was worth it. Groaning, he worked through the consequences and hopped on the computer to check the stock market.

Oh yeah…still no Internet.

Grumbling, Robin left his quarters to go freshen up in the bathroom. As soon as he walked in, he noticed a dark stain on the ceiling. That certainly hadn't been there the day before.

"Argh! Blake!" He shouted, this new discovery doing nothing for his migraine, "Did you do this?!"

There was no response from the other room. Robin eyed the stain with disgust. _Did he throw up on the CEILING? How does one even accomplish such a thing?_

He drew the conclusion at projectile vomit. Thank God he hadn't been there to witness Blake's feat. Shaking his head, Robin quickly brushed his teeth and went back to his room, slamming the door extra loud in a passive-aggressive attempt to wake up his sloppy neighbor.

* * *

Natalie, Kirby, and Carter had been the first to leave the party last night. It made sense they were the first ones to breakfast that Sunday morning. Kirby mourned the fact that she couldn't attend church and was therefore committing a sin. Natalie busied herself with gathering tidbits of meat to share with Mina later on. Carter just sat quietly, enjoying the two girls' company. They were odd, but kind and down-to-earth. He hoped they would be able to eat together time and time again after this.

"I guess everyone's hung over this morning, huh?" Carter mused, nibbling on a chocolate chip muffin. "Good thing there are no classes today."

"Speaking of classes," Natalie piped up, looking nervous, "We never got our schedules!"

Alistair suddenly came walking in, looking well groomed despite staying up so late. Only the bags under his eyes betrayed his fatigue. He joined the three social outcasts after helping himself to some tea and a plain bagel.

"So how was the party?" Carter asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You missed quite a show." Alistair sighed deeply, taking a long sip of tea. He closed his eyes in contentment, relishing the warm liquid as it slipped into his stomach. He relayed last night's events in tiny portions until Asui showed up, looking haggard.

She nearly moved off to a separate table, but Kirby called her over. "You look terrible! Did you stay at the party the entire night?"

"Yeah. It went until 4 a.m." Asui moaned, rubbing at her eyes, "I need more sleep."

"GOOD MORNING BASTARDS!"

Everyone gave a small gasp as Monobear's voice penetrated every crevice of the room. And not just the cafeteria—his voice filled the dorms as well; waking the sick college kids from their sleep. Monobear was fully aware of this and broke off into a fit of laughter.

"Hahaha! This is so much fun! Anyways, please gather in the Rec Hall at noon to receive your class schedules. I fully expect everyone to attend! If not…well, you know what happens to misbehaving students." With a final cackle, the intercom shut off.

Kirby nudged Natalie. "That answers your question, I guess."

Natalie looked relieved. "Oh, good. I guess the initiation is behind us, then?"

Alistair laced his hands together and rested his chin on them thoughtfully. "Only time will tell, I suppose."

* * *

Students came trickling into the gym bit by bit. Many appeared dreadfully pale and seemed as if they would keel over at any second. The harsh lighting of the gym only made the hungover teenagers feel even worse.

Gustav was the only one that seemed to harbor any energy, a truly amazing feat. "Class schedules! I bet me, Lumey and Ally will all be together because we're all sort of performance majors, right? We're like one big happy family!"

Libra looked at him, horrified. "Lumey and _who_?"

"Ally, my roomie!" Gustav chirped, pointing at Alistair. Alistair's features hardened slightly, but otherwise he didn't acknowledge Gustav.

Charlie kept to himself, fuming silently, wishing everyone would shut the gently caress up. His head was buzzing with pain. He had drunk a little too much and hadn't even managed to have a _really _good time because he had been too incapacitated. He was still set on capturing Teresa's heart after that lovely night. He looked over to find her snoozing in the corner. Smirking a bit, he crept closer and closer to her, trying to see how close he could get his face to hers. He still couldn't see those mysterious eyes of hers past her sunglasses, but a surprised twitch betrayed that he had woken her.

"Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally decided to wake up." Charlie grinned, his nose nearly touching hers, "Too bad. I was really looking forward to kissing you."

"Not now…" Teresa groaned, slapping a hand over his face and pushing him away. She could feel color creeping into her cheeks as she recalled last night. What had started as an innocent flirtation transgressed into…them sticking their tongues down one another's throats, quite frankly. She quickly tried to shake off this memory and asked, "Has Monobear said anything?"

"No. He's not even here yet." Charlie replied.

Teresa looked past him. "Yes he is. He's been sitting in the middle of the floor over there for the past ten minutes. Didn't you notice?"

Everyone looked in surprise to see Monobear was sitting limply in the middle of the gym. The area was so spacious that he had gone unnoticed by most everyone. They waited for him to begin his speech, but he didn't.

"Hey, so are we getting our schedules or not?" Reeta asked loudly, crossing her arms.

But Monobear might as well have been an inanimate doll.

"Chill," Noah told Reeta, splayed on the bleachers, "He's probably just waiting for everyone to get here. What time is it?"

Robin glanced at his watch. "Past noon. Who are we missing?"

"WAIT!" Grant came bursting in through the double doors, looking panicked, "I'm here! Please don't punish me or whatever! I'm sorry I'm always the last one!" He looked at Monobear, waiting to be chastised, but the bear remained still.

"You're not the last one." Alistair said, his gaze sweeping over the others. "We're still missing…three. Karah, Elaine, and Blake."

Libra let out a snort, causing everyone to turn to her. "I know where Blake is."

"Great! So go get him." Asui said, nodding at her expectantly.

"You're making me walk all the way back?" Libra said, looking prepared to argue.

"Yup. It's good exercise."

"Then why don't _you _go—"

"I'll go with you," Carter interrupted. He didn't feel like waiting around for Monobear to wake up. The bear's silent presence made him antsy. It was nearly as bad as when he was spouting off.

Reeta decided to jump in with them as well. "I'm bored! I need fresh air." She claimed, tagging along with Carter and Libra.

"Me too!" Gustav said, beginning to follow.

"No!" Libra said, trying to keep from snapping, "Go play with Monobear or something!"

"Okay!" Gustav laughed, dashing over to Monobear. He picked him up and began to shake him. As they left, they could hear him declaring that Monobear was neither a toy nor a little boy in a mascot suit.

Charlie's voice drawled, "Well no shi—" before the door slammed behind them, cutting off sounds of the gymnasium.

"Let's go." Carter declared, leading the way back to the dorms. "Libra, you go to Blake's room. Reeta and I will wake up Karah and Elaine."

"Blake's not in his room," Libra said, stifling a snicker, "Would you believe he passed out at the party last night? He got so wasted I couldn't even wake him up. So I just left him on a couch and took everyone else back."

"You _what_?" Reeta's voice was nearly a shriek. She quickly clamped her mouth shut, embarrassed with her reaction.

Libra was looking at her, studying her.

"That's so not cool!" Reeta spoke again, "He could have gotten alcohol poisoning for all you know! He could be dead!"

Libra looked defensive. "Well if he is, it's not my fault! I didn't tell him to drink himself to death!" Nevertheless, her face twisted with concern.

Finally, they arrived at the quad. Reeta and Carter entered the dorm building while Libra went into the Dining Commons, dragging her feet and looking upset. Reeta kept casting nervous glances out the window as they walked up the steps. Blake was nice. He didn't deserve to be left on a couch, passed out.

She tore her mind from the issue as Carter knocked on the door, calling, "Elaine? Karah?" There was no answer. "Oh, shoot!" He muttered.

"What? What is it?" Reeta asked, her chest going tight with terror. Carter's tone scared her for some reason, as if something had gone horribly wrong.

Carter turned to her. "How are we supposed to get in and wake them up? We don't have keys and there's two doors between us."

"Umm…scream really loud!" Reeta suggested. She began banging on the door excitedly, shouting for her classmates to wake up. Carter stood back and let her have her fun for a minute.

When it seemed to be getting them nowhere, he sighed, "Let's just go. There's nothing we can do."

Reeta opened her mouth to protest, grabbing the door handle as if she expected to force her way in. Much to her surprise, it clicked right down and the door popped open. "Huh-?"

It was unlocked.

"How lucky!" Reeta rejoiced, throwing open the door, "Karah, Elaine! Good mor…ning…ah…ahhh…"

Reeta stumbled a few steps back and screamed. Tears sprang from her eyes and flooded her panic-stricken face. Her back collided with the wall behind her and she slumped to the floor, wailing uselessly.

Carter just stood where he was, frozen, staring into the room. Karah was sitting upright against the wall, her eyes shut, a bright red smile of dried blood on her throat. Her head rested limply on her shoulder and her freckled face was terribly pale. Right nearby, Elaine's body was stiffly curled on its side. Her eyes were open and unseeing, slightly sunken into her skull. Her cardigan was torn in multiple places, dotted with red.

There was no mistaking it: both girls were dead.

Carter could feel his breakfast fighting its way back up. Only the patter of feet could draw his attention away from the gory scene. Libra came running down the hall with Blake following, holding his aching head.

"What happened?" She asked sharply, looking from Reeta to Carter.

Carter could only point into the room. His throat had closed up, making words impossible, and he struggled to breathe properly. Libra stepped forward and peered inside. Immediately, she went pale.

"Oh my God," She cried out, gripping her hair and beginning to shake, "Oh my God, oh my God!"

Blake took one look and could no longer contain the bloated contents of his stomach. He stumbled away, making it a few yards before he keeled over and began retching. Libra could only stand there, whimpering the same three words over and over, clutching her head. Reeta remained by the wall, sobbing.

And Carter just continued staring into the room, wishing it all to be a terrible nightmare instead of harsh reality.

* * *

"ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS IN ATTENDANCE OF ST. FORTUNA'S ACADEMY: A BODY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED. A SCHOOL TRIAL WILL BEGIN, FOLLOWING A SHORT PERIOD OF INVESTIGATION."

Monobear's announcement, which once again reached to all corners of the school, was followed by silence in the gymnasium. Everyone looked to each other in confusion. Finally, Monobear's body jolted awake and he jumped up, grinning at each student.

"Well, you heard the announcement! Better get on that!" He told them excitedly, "We'll hand out your schedules later."

"…Wh…What?" Natalie whispered.

"When three or more people discover a body, there's an announcement and an investigation commences." Monobear explained, "I'm only gonna give you a few hours so don't dilly-dally, sillies!"

Silence filled the gym. Everyone waited for someone else to speak. Finally, Gustav asked, "But isn't the initiation over now?"

Monobear's one red eye gleamed. "You just don't get it, do you? You know what…I think you should just see for yourselves. Go back to the dorms. The assembly will commence once you've all gotten a taste of reality. Don't start the investigation until you've come back and heard all the rules."

With that, Monobear threw back his head and laughed manically. The students, greatly disturbed, had no choice but to file out of the gymnasium and start back towards the dorms. Everyone could barely shuffle their feet along the sidewalk. Even those that had denied the terrorism proposition felt dread pooling in their stomachs. As the dorms grew bigger and bigger upon their approach, what conversations had been taking place ground to a halt. Up ahead, they spotted someone huddled on the sidewalk.

"Reeta?" Kirby called, her eyes going wide with concern.

Reeta suddenly sprang up, revealing a tearstained face. Her expression was one of panic. She darted towards the others, saying, "They're dead! They're both dead! Someone has to call the police, now! _Please_!"

"We can't, there's still no service!" Grant said sharply, looking alarmed, "Reeta, _who's _dead?"

She turned to him, chin trembling. "K…Karah and…Elaine!" She barely managed to choke out.

At her words, everyone went cold.

Reeta ran the sleeve of her bomber jacket over her face, wiping her eyes. Then she declared in a shrill voice, "One of us is a murderer!"

Everyone went silent, their breath caught in their throats. Suddenly, the air became incredibly thick with suspicion. The students looked at one another nervously, knowing that one of them had blood on their hands—or perhaps, one of their other peers, who was already inside.

Natalie couldn't take it anymore. With a small cry, she darted past the others and ran to the door, tripping over her skirt as she went. She whipped out her key, unlocked the door, and went inside before anyone could stop her. Then she sprinted up the stairs, only intent on reaching her room safely.

But as she came to the top of the steps, she saw Carter standing there. He looked surprised to see her—and he was standing right in front of the open door. The room that contained the dead bodies. She could smell them from here.

"Natalie—" Carter began to say, but she rushed past him, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid the sight of blood. She nearly slipped on Blake's vomit, crying out as she caught her balance. She didn't stop running until she had slammed the door to her room.

The tears finally broke free, spilling down her face. "What did any of us do to deserve this?" She asked to no one in particular. "This can't be real. This can't be _real_."

"Maowww…" A light scratch on her bedroom door alerted her that Mina wanted to be let out. She quickly opened the door for her and embraced the little Exotic Shorthair. Sensing her distress, Mina frantically rubbed her face all over Natalie's hands. It was as if she believed she could help her fight off the sadness.

"You're the only one I can trust now." Natalie sniffled, patting Mina on the head. She glanced towards Kirby's room. She and her roommate had stayed inside all night, playing an old board game Kirby had brought to school. Their alibis were solid. And Kirby didn't seem the type to take a human life anyways; she was always carrying a Bible around with her.

_But what about everyone else? _Natalie thought fearfully, _Who could have done it? …And what's going to stop them from doing it again?_

* * *

Back downstairs; the students were full of paranoia, convinced this would escalate into a bloody fight at any moment. No one was too keen on entering the building and seeing the crime scene either. That is, until Grant stepped forward.

He took off his sunglasses, revealing an uncharacteristically serious expression underneath. "Standing around will do us no good. Monobear told us to look at the crime scene, then head back to hear the rules…whatever those may be." He looked at each of his classmates, studying them with narrowed eyes. "This is _real_, people. No one's coming to save us and we can't escape. And unless we all want to be dead and buried by the end of today, we have to find out who killed Karah and Elaine."

"...Dead?" Asui echoed faintly, her face still blank with shock.

Teresa nodded and spoke up. "He's right. Remember what Monobear said at orientation?"

A few students cringed at the memory. Finally, they seemed to understand what they had to do. But before heading inside, the air suddenly blared with Monobear's voice.

"I changed my mind!" He said quickly, his voice broadcasted to every loudspeaker on campus, "I'm eager for you to start the investigation, so I'm just going to announce the rules on here. So grab a pencil and paper and let's get started!"

Of course, no one did, but that didn't stop Monobear from continuing on.

"Before we start, I would like to remind you that no violence is permitted against me, the Dean. Destruction of surveillance cameras is also forbidden. Isn't that right, Mr. Illusionist?"

Alistair's eyes narrowed. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He said stiffly.

"Regarding the actual murder that took place: the culprit…or dare I say _culprits_ will always be among the student body. I'm a nice Dean and I would never dream of killing my favorite pupils! So if you think _I _had anything to do with what happened, then you're wrong."

"You had everything to do with it!" Kirby burst out angrily.

But Monobear was only concerned with the sound of his own voice at the moment. "As you all know, you'll be given a short period to investigate the murder, followed by a trial. You will also be given a Monobear File, which contains some of the details surrounding the death of your friends. I would like all killers and prospective killers to know that you are not allowed to dismember more than two people at a time. Otherwise you could just blow up the building while everyone's sleeping and that wouldn't be any fun!"

"P…prospective killers…?" Noah said weakly.

"Another thing: accomplices don't get to leave for their efforts, so don't waste your time! You _must _directly kill someone in order to leave." There was a long pause and only static could be heard. Finally, Monobear declared, "Enh! If I think of more rules, I'll let you know." With a _click_, the intercom shut off.

Everyone dissolved into a flurry of chatter. Grant didn't feel like sticking around, knowing how dire the situation was. He walked inside without another word to the others, but as he placed one foot on the steps, he felt a presence behind him. He looked back to see Teresa had followed him.

"Don't go off on your own." She warned with a small smile, "You and I are too valuable to lose. Right, _Mr. Scientist_?"

Grant pursed his lips. "…You seem to be taking this pretty calmly."

Teresa's eyes narrowed behind her glasses. The accusation in his tone was clear, but she forced a smile and said, "So do you."

Grant sighed. "This is just another day of work for me…then again this is the first time it's been someone I know." He vaguely remembered last night. Alcohol left black blotches on his memory, but he could still visualize himself out on the dance floor with Karah and Elaine. It was as if someone had taken a picture and shown it to him...but the photo was dreadfully blurry.

"Let's go." Teresa said quietly. The two of them walked side by side up the steps. Behind them, they could hear other students opening the door and filing in, talking in nervous whispers. At the same time, Carter came slowly wandering down the steps, wide-eyed.

"Finally!" He let out a large breath when he saw the others. "Do you know how nerve-wracking it is, being left alone with two bodies?"

"You're alone?" Teresa said, studying him. "…Where are Blake and Libra?"

"They both went back to their rooms," Carter replied, "I guess they're not taking any chances. Anyways, I think it would be really good if you took a look at the crime scene." He turned his piercing gaze towards Grant.

Grant nodded seriously. He was very aware of the other students coming up behind him, watching him. Were they really all depending on him to solve this? Maintaining his calm, Grant led the way towards Karah and Elaine's room. The door remained propped open; the smell had penetrated the hall.

Suddenly, someone started bawling. "I don't wanna look!" Gustav wailed like a helpless child, "I don't wanna do it!"

Kirby had started crying as well, silently asking God for protection.

"Come away, then." Reeta said to the both of them, fighting the swelling in her throat. "I can't bear to see it again either."

Others peered in and immediately looked away. Asui's stomach clenched at the smell. She looked all around her suspiciously. Gustav was off crying by Reeta's side. She couldn't help but wonder if his overdramatic reaction was real or not. Other faces were stark white and full of shock.

"I'm going back to my room," She blurted out before she could stop herself.

Noah spared her a glance. "Huh?"

"It's not safe here." Asui shivered and turned to leave.

"Monobear said a culprit couldn't kill more than two people." Noah drawled, as if it were blatantly obvious.

Asui shot him a glare. "Well, what if there were two culprits? That means we're still in danger. I'm leaving!"

Noah caught her arm. "Calm down, girl. You'll be safe in a group."

"No I won't!" Asui snapped stubbornly, "Now let go of me! Ugh. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't look after myself!" She tore away from Noah and stormed down the hall, going into her room without a backwards glance. Once inside, she stopped to catch her breath. It was unnerving to think that just on the other side of her bedroom wall, the investigation was taking place. Asui quickly shook off this thought.

"Libra…?" She called softly.

The crack under Libra's door was lit up, giving away that it was occupied. Muffled voices could be heard, as if she was watching TV or a video on her laptop. But her roommate did not respond. Asui felt a flash of irritation. _Fine. Stay in there._

Next door, many others were taking one look at the crime scene and scurrying off to hide in their rooms. Robin stood back, feeling annoyed as he watched all of them give up. Eventually, it was just he, Alistair, Carter, Grant, and Teresa. Grant was silent, observing the crime scene and even touching the bodies.

Robin felt useless, standing back and watching. But he wasn't about to get blood on his skin.

"Too many people have run off and left this to fate," Alistair spoke up quite suddenly, "If we want to escape with our lives, we need _everyone _pulling their weight."

Robin turned to study Alistair. Would the killer suggest such a thing, if only to allay suspicion? Either way… "My thoughts exactly" Robin declared, "The crime scene isn't the only place that contains clues." He turned and headed for the three teenagers huddled further down the hallway.

Upon his approach, Kirby looked up and fixed a tearful gaze on him.

Robin tried to force a smile. "Hello, friends…ahh…" _How do I phrase this delicately? _"Well, I think it would be in everyone's best interest if you all took part in the investigation. I'm not saying you have to be at the crime scene—perhaps a sweep of the building would suffice. Look around for any evidence that may be connected to the death of our friends."

For a moment, the three of them just stared at Robin. He hunched over slightly, waiting for them to berate him. But then Reeta said, "Of course we will! Come on guys, let's go round everyone up. We're not going to let that stupid panda bear do away with us, that's for sure!"

With her head courageously held high, she consoled Gustav and Kirby, urging them to wipe their tears away and follow her. Feeling proud over his victory, Robin took a detour to the room next door: Asui and Libra's domain.

He knocked once and waited. No answer. Persistently, he continued knocking until he got an answer from the other side.

"What do you want?" Asui asked warily, looking through the peephole.

Robin peered back at her. "Get me the film director."

* * *

"Is it possible they could have killed each other?" Teresa wondered, surveying the area as Grant continued to search the room, completely absorbed in his work. "From the looks of it, there was a struggle between the two of them."

She could see the story playing out in her head. One of the girls had gone crazy and attacked the other. Karah fought fiercely, stabbing Elaine multiple times with a sharp object. But Elaine had easily slit her throat, only to collapse against the wall and die of blood loss. There were shards on the ground…remnants of a broken beer bottle. Could they have been used as a weapon?

Grant didn't respond to Teresa's question for a long time. She was beginning to think he hadn't heard her, but a few minutes later, he spoke. "No. I don't think this is a roomie tiff gone wrong. I don't have anything on me, so I can't go looking for fingerprints or pinpoint a time of death. But I'm willing to bet someone tampered with the crime scene. Elaine may have multiple stab wounds, but there's a heavier blow on the back of her head. Aside from that, there's a suspicious lack of blood."

"I don't see any difference." Carter said quietly, "Then again, what would I know? I handle bones, not bodies."

"How exactly would the killer have time to clean blood off the carpet?" Alistair asked skeptically, "Blood stains easily. It would be a pain to remove, and a large waste of time considering the bodies are still here."

"If you ask me…" Grant said slowly, ignoring comments from the peanut gallery, "This was made to look like the two murdered each other. But the culprit must have been in a rush, because it was very sloppily done."

"Well done, Mr. Scientist!" A familiar voice crowed. Everyone groaned inwardly as Monobear came parading into the room. "I was waiting for that pivotal moment of realization to give you this: the Monobear File! Unfortunately for the culprit, it contains some nice information for the rest of you losers to know. Sure it's unfair, but I know it's your first time and I don't want to push you too hard. Let's just have fun with this thing, okay? Upupu!"

While Monobear prattled on, Grant kept straining to grab the file out of his paws, but the little bear kept prancing away. Only when he was through with he had to say did he let the scientist have it. Grant flipped open the file and hungrily scanned the page. The other three students crowded around him, peering over his shoulder.

_The victims are Elaine Rose Harlow and Karah Marie Simmons…_

_The times of death were around 12:44 AM and 1:12 AM  
_

_The bodies were found in the common room of their shared dormitory._

_Causes of death include trauma to the head and a slit jugular vein. _

_Aside from that, multiple wounds have been inflicted on the body of Elaine. _

"I knew it!" Grant declared proudly, closing the file and turning to the other three. Victory danced in his eyes. "They didn't kill each other after all. They _couldn't _have. So that means the culprit is one of us…we're one step closer to solving this case!"


	7. Candid Camera

**100 reviews! ^_^ Thanks guys! It's a nice place to be. I've finally drawn the entire cast and you can find them on my deviantart page! :) Meanwhile, here's part two of the investigation. I tried my best to give you guys stuff to work with so you can draw your own conclusions, but I didn't want to give away too much either or else the trial wouldn't be any fun to read. I'm actually feeling a little more confident with it, but we'll see if you think so too.  
**

**Now it's time for a fun story (I like to talk about myself if you haven't noticed). I work at a camp with 3-5 year olds and they were doing chalk tracings around each other's bodies and really wanted to trace around mine. When they were done, I was complimenting them on it when one little girl says ominously, "Now we add the blood." And I'm like "O_O WTF did I die? Is this a crime scene now?" And she colored my stomach area with pink chalk (yeah, pink), telling me how she would make sure to add a lot of blood. I asked her how I died and she said I got stabbed in a shower...um...I'm pretty sure 5-year olds don't watch Dangan Ronpa. But it was a funny (yet creepy) moment. XD**

"Wait," Alistair warned, "Don't jump to conclusions. They died awfully close together…one of them still could have killed the other." He moved towards Elaine and kneeled by her, staring hard into her face, as if he expected her to spring back to life and tell them all the answers. His hand slid across the floor towards hers, but did not touch.

"In my professional opinion," Grant said, lifting his chin slightly, "They died on impact. If Elaine bled to death, isn't it strange that she wouldn't close her eyes? And why are there no signs of a struggle on Karah's body? If they were both holding weapons, that shouldn't be the case."

Teresa spoke up, her voice thoughtful. "Maybe Karah attacked Elaine first, but she wrestled the weapon away from her, then slit her throat."

Carter shook his head sadly. "It's so hard to imagine. But you know, we're missing two crucial details: murder weapon and motive."

"Right." Teresa agreed, nodding approvingly, "Motive is a big one. Perhaps they believed Monobear's ploy, or maybe it really _was _a roommate spat turned gory."

"No!" Grant cut her off, surprised by how fierce his voice sounded. He reached up and fiddled with his cap, embarrassed. "I…I don't really remember last night too well…but I think Karah and Elaine were good friends. They both struck me as being fairly peaceful too. I'm _positive _they didn't kill each other. There's still that lack of blood that I mentioned."

"You should never rule out anything for sure, Mr. M.O." Teresa said with a wry smile, "But all right. Let's work this from a new angle."

Carter stepped forward and motioned to the glass shards scattered on the carpet. "I think Elaine was hit with a beer bottle from the party. Maybe Karah walked in on the culprit, who was still hanging around for some reason, and had her throat slit with one of the shards."

But Grant was already on his knees, remaining at a careful distance from the broken glass. He poked at the larger pieces, which belonged to the top of the bottle. There didn't seem to be enough blood on them. Besides, a shard of glass might be harder to handle. But if _this _wasn't the murder weapon—at least regarding Karah's case—then what _was_?

* * *

Asui refused to open the door for Robin, but at least she got Libra for him. Libra, a little more fearless (or a little more stupid) opened the door right away. She stood with her laptop cradled in her arms, looking at Robin nervously. A very forced smile turned up the corners of her lips.

"Why did you need to see me?"

Robin wasted no time in telling her. "Because you were recording on and off last night, right? Some people left the party early and others stayed late. We need to establish alibis and the best tool for it: your camera footage."

Libra didn't respond for a moment. She seemed to be considering the notion.

Robin put on his best smile and said, "Doesn't it flatter you that all of your hard work could save everyone's lives?"

"…My film professor always _did_ say I was special." Her eyes grew warm and she smirked fondly at a specific memory. "You know, he praised me so much that I think my class hated me for it. He said, 'Libra's film is the best in class…I haven't finished looking at the others yet so one of yours _might _be better than hers…but I seriously doubt it.'"

_I didn't ask to hear your whole life story, _Robin nearly blurted out. Instead he clapped his hands and said, "Ahaa! No kidding! Anyways, I think it'd be wonderful if we viewed your footage together. Don't you agree?"

Suddenly, Libra's eyes went incredibly wide. "Oh my gosh." She murmured, "Do you realize what I can do with this camera? I can't just save our lives…I can…I can make us all rich and famous if we get out of here alive! We could be like those kids in _Blair Witch Project_, only _real_. And with better camerawork." She cast a terrified yet hopeful glance down the hall, towards the crime scene. Robin wondered if her mind had already snapped. Darn it, and they hadn't even started investigating yet.

"I wouldn't mind being rich after such an experience," Robin said dryly, losing the friendly façade, "But first things first, can we _please _just view what you recorded at the party—"

"After I film the crime scene." Libra said, darting back into her room and shutting the door.

"Now wait just a minute!" Robin yelled.

But Libra was already stampeding back out with her camera in tow. "I'll meet you in the basement," She told him, eyes shining, "We can hook my laptop up to the big TV downstairs and watch it on there."

_Thank you. Finally. _Robin sighed inwardly, unwilling to pursue her down the hall. Before he could move off, Asui stuck her head out of the room, still eyeing him warily.

"Can I come?"

Robin frowned. He didn't have much of an opinion on…whatever this girl's name was. But he didn't appreciate the way she had treated him earlier. "Thought you were too paranoid to come out of your room?"

She looked away guiltily. "Well, I'm scared like anyone else, but…I don't want to be a dead weight. I want to help."

"Fine, then you can come." Robin said, already walking down the hall towards the elevator. "The more the merrier." _Or so they say._

* * *

Libra slowed slightly as she approached the crime scene. She could smell it from out here. Fear caused her body to tremble. She lifted the camera to her face and looked through the viewfinder. _There_, She sighed peacefully, _that's better. _She hit the record button and moved to stand in the doorway. This was extremely exciting. She had a personal goal to film someone being viciously attacked by an animal at some point in her life, but this was just as good.

Carter's jaw dropped. "What do you think you're doing?!" He demanded.

_Starting on the movie that's going to make us even more successful than we already are. _Libra replied in her head. Instead of saying this aloud, she held a finger to her lips and mouthed, "Act natural. Don't look at the camera."

Carter didn't mind too much being filmed—he was used to it, considering he was apart of a reality TV show. But he found it really disrespectful towards Elaine and Karah. He approached Libra, telling her this, his eyes sparking dangerously.

Libra shrunk away, fearing that he would break her camera. "B-But…I still need to get this shot from a few different angles…"

"No. Get that out of here!" Carter raised his fist, as if to smash the lens in.

"W-Wait, this was really expensive-!" Libra begged desperately.

"Leave her alone." Alistair spoke up from his corner of the room, "We have more important things to deal with. Libra…" The illusionist approached her and handed her something.

She stared at it. It had Monobear's face on it. "What is this?"

"The Monobear File. Share it with the other students." Alistair said simply. "We made a few notes of our own on there as well."

Libra looked at Alistair, angling the camera towards him. He didn't mind so much, being a performer. He tousled his dirty blonde hair with a flourish, and then returned to work. "Thank you!" Libra blurted out. She swiveled around to face Carter, summoning up the courage to growl, "Don't ever get in the way of my filming again or…or…"

"You'll kill me?" Carter finished in an innocent voice, lifting his eyebrows.

Libra flinched at the suggestion. "I wasn't going to say that!" She blinked furiously to fight the moisture forming in her eyes. Then, devastated, she turned and trotted out of the room.

Carter felt a small pluck of guilt. He knew he shouldn't be too hard on her. Film directors had the tendency to be flashy and annoying, always putting their work before the good of the people. _I'm just stressed out, _He decided, gloom crushing down on his soul. _I need to get away for a while…too bad there's nowhere to go._

* * *

Robin, Libra, and Asui had all gathered in the basement. While Libra set everything up, the other two sat on a long, comfortable couch, bracing themselves to review the footage. Asui had brought a pencil and paper containing everyone's names. They had reviewed the Monobear file together. Apparently, the others had deduced that Karah and Elaine _didn't _kill each other. There were too many things missing from the crime scene to suggest it.

So Asui crossed off both victims' names. "Sixteen down, fourteen to go…hey, you guys don't think there could have been two culprits, do you?"

"Oh, that would make me feel better." Robin said sarcastically, "Twice the amount of bloodthirsty dimwits in the vicinity…twice the amount of effort to find the culprit…"

"Done!" Libra said perkily, as the TV lit up with an image of the party. "I'd like to apologize for the poor lighting in advance. And if any shots go out of focus, just know I couldn't see in the viewfinder very well. And I forgot to bring a white card for balance so the shots are a little bit—"

"_Please _just start it already!" Robin groaned, rubbing his temples, "We're on a strict time limit here! Or didn't you realize?"

"Dude. Robin."

All three students turned around, surprised to see Blake fumbling his way towards him. He looked pretty awful, with dark circles under his eyes and messy hair. He was clutching an ice pack to his head, grimacing at its cool contents.

"Enjoying your hangover?" Robin asked.

"Not really." Blake frowned, "Uh…so were you planning to clean up your little mess in the bathroom?"

"What mess in the bathroom?" Robin said sharply. He was extremely neat and tidy, careful not to inconvenience his roommate. He couldn't even pinpoint what mess he was talking about.

"You know," Blake said, looking meaningfully at Robin, "You threw up on the ceiling. Man, and there was like water dripping on my head when I was throwing up. So not cool."

"I didn't throw up on the ceiling!" Robin burst out defensively, "That was you!" Silence passed between the two boys. Blake looked around nervously. Robin's expression became one of understanding. "Wait, if that wasn't me _or _you…"

"Someone came into our room last night and threw up on the ceiling?" Blake asked in a small, quavering voice.

Robin shook his head fiercely. "Impossible! I locked the door. Did you forget to lock it when you came back?!"

"Blake never made it home last night, FYI." Libra spoke up, "Anyways, can we watch this or…?"

"LIBRAAA!"

"Oh God—"

Gustav came flying into the room at mach speed, practically bowling Libra onto her back as he threw himself at her. "We met Carter in the hall and he said you were being an insensitive a-hole and making a movie! Can I be in your movie? Can I be the star of the show? Oh, please, please, please! Please, I will do _anythinggg!_"

While Libra combatted Gustav, Robin and Asui looked towards their newest arrivals. Reeta was leading Noah, Kirby, Charlie, and Natalie towards them, looking proud of herself. For some reason, Natalie was carrying Mina, who was limp as a ragdoll in her arms.

"I rounded up everyone who wasn't busy with the crime scene!" Reeta declared proudly. "And boy was it hard to get Natalie to come out of her room. The only way to do it was to let her bring the kitty cat!"

Natalie blushed and looked away. Mina reached up and nuzzled her owner's face, mewling softly. Suddenly, everyone came to a halt, looking at Blake.

Reeta began to fidget nervously. "Oh, Blake. You don't look so good…maybe you should go rest in your room."

"Nah." Blake shook his head. "I'm not gonna let you guys do this alone. I'm all about _teamwork_, man!" He went to give them a thumbs-up, but a sharp stab in his head made him groan with pain. He clamped both hands onto the ice pack and pressed it to his forehead.

Kirby and Reeta exchanged a knowing glance. Kirby stepped forward. "Blake…um…we found your ID." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the little high-tech gadget.

Blake gasped. "What! I didn't even realize it was missing. Thanks." He stepped forward to take it, grinning naively.

Kirby took a step back, clutching the ID card to her chest. "I'm sorry Blake, but…it's evidence now."

"We can't give it to you!" Noah said in a superior voice, putting his hands on his hips, "We can't have you tampering with it, now can we?"

Blake stopped and tilted his head, clearly confused. "Evidence?" He echoed.

Reeta nodded. "We found it in the basement, just back there by the janitor's closet. And it…it has blood on it. What were you doing here last night, Blake?"

"I…I wasn't here." Blake said, gawping at the others. He was at a complete loss for words. Everyone's eyes swam with suspicion as they looked at him. His heart grew heavy in his chest. _No way._

"I can vouch for him." Libra said, leaning against the TV slightly, "He was passed out on the couch when I left."

"He could have been faking." Natalie whispered, her eyes full of fear. She looked ready to run for cover at any moment.

_Could Blake really have done it…? _Robin thought to himself, shocked that his roommate would be capable of such a thing, _That dark stain on the ceiling…maybe it's not vomit…could it be…?_

"If you had stayed there late enough, you would have been able to tell that he wasn't faking." Libra said firmly, continuing the conversation. Blake shot her a grateful glance, and she went on, "Anyways, I recorded a lot of what went down last night. We were just about to watch it. How about we hold our accusations until we've finished, hmm?"

Gustav plopped down right next to Robin, squirming with excitement. "I can't wait to see it!"

Robin leaned away from him, grimacing. Charlie growled, "We're supposed to be searching for clues, Gustav. Remember?"

But the girls in his group had already settled down to watch the video clips as well. Charlie rolled his eyes and pointed out that there were already plenty of people watching the video. They still had many places to check in their sweep of the building. But his words went ignored.

_Fine, _He thought, turning and leaving without another word, _Who needs the lot of you, anyways? You're all a bunch of numbskulls…I can solve this on my own…_

No one called him back. Asui was quietly reading the Monobear File to everyone. Gustav was busy listening to the sound of his own voice, when he realized he was missing dire information.

"Wait, what did they write down for the murder weapon?" He asked, leaning over to look.

"They think it was a beer bottle." Asui replied quietly.

Suddenly, the TV queued up and began playing through the clips. The volume was pushed to the max and Libra's voice filled the room. "Yeah?" She drawled over the pounding party music, as the camera whirled around and fixed its image on Robin. There he stood, holding an armful of beer bottles.

Robin shifted uncomfortably, aware that everyone was now looking at him. A moment ago, they had been eyeing Blake suspiciously. Now all of it was focused on him. He swallowed his anxiety and pretended to focus on the screen. The time, set for military, flashed in the corner.

"Robin left about 10:52." Libra said, nudging Asui, "Write that down."

Asui complied, casting quick glances at Robin as she did so. He stiffened in his seat. Thankfully, everyone remained silent and watched the events play out. There were a lot of embarrassing clips that would have best been left forgotten. Reeta wasn't nearly as good a dancer as she thought she was when drunk and Blake turned red when his 'Superbowl MVP' speech started up.

There were also back-to-back clips of Charlie first kissing Reeta on the lips, and then going on to make out with Teresa.

"That pig!" Reeta said heatedly, "When I get my hands on him…!"

"Look. Elaine is still there." Libra said, nodding to where she stood on the dance floor with Karah. They seemed to be conversing, but the camera whipped around and focused on Noah spewing something about saving polar bears before they could get a better look. He didn't seem to ashamed about it. Saving the polar bears was a good cause to get behind, drunk or sober.

"How come I'm barely in this?" Gustav pouted. He couldn't have looked more put out. But Libra didn't answer, fully focused on the TV. Asui was scribbling notes like mad.

There were multiple time skips in which Libra turned off the camera and took a break. When it was past 12:44, everyone was stonily silent. But they were all thinking the same thing: Elaine had just lost her life. Karah shortly followed. The night ended with Libra trying to herd all of the rowdy partiers home. It was a difficult feat and embarrassing to relive.

When it was all over, she declared, "I'm going to separate the important clips so we can use them in the trial. We'll establish alibis then."

"We'll finish our sweep of the building." Reeta said, "C'mon everyone, let's do this! We totally got this!" She led her crew away, trying to inject everyone with optimistic thoughts. Once they were gone, the group of four struck up a conversation.

"My alibi is solid, right?" Blake stammered, "I was there. You saw me, right? At the end, where she showed me sleeping on the couch…"

"That doesn't mean anything," Asui said, "You could have left and come back."

"Check the time they were murdered!" Blake insisted, "I was there, I swear! I mean I don't really remember, but I'm pretty sure…"

Asui shook her head, almost regretfully. "You shouldn't have let alcohol get the best of you. How do you know you didn't do it if you can't even remember?"

"I would _never _kill someone!" Blake exclaimed, his voice rising in desperation. "Let's watch it again, I'll show you!"

Libra stopped admiring Blake's muscles for a moment to offer her two cents. "We'll double check later, when we're with everyone else. In the meantime, I have work to do." She unplugged everything and began gathering it up.

Asui looked at her notes. So far, only the victims' names were crossed off. With the evidence they had, she wasn't sure her peers could figure out who the culprit was. Even with Libra's film, it seemed tough to establish alibis. Asui let out a large breath, heart pounding in her chest.

Most likely, they were all going to be dead by the end of the day.

* * *

Despite all of his social skills, and despite all the joy he took in charming or flat out insulting others, Charlie still found himself preferring to be on his own. It was nice to share company, especially the ladies, but when it came down to it, there was no one that could match his IQ. Quite frankly, the others weren't worth his time. So all the more power to him that he was investigating alone.

As he walked away from the basement lounge, Charlie felt himself being drawn back to the hallway they had already searched. It was a dimly lit area with whitewashed walls. They had easily spotted Blake's abandoned ID card on the floor. It was right by the janitor's closet.

The door of the closet was practically calling to him, begging him to come check inside. He reached out and tried the knob, hoping it would be unlocked. It was. He sighed in relief and pushed open the door.

The closet was dark. He flicked on the lights and squinted, allowing his eyes to adjust. As soon as they did, he saw it: a strange little knife with red coated on the tip. It was lying in the middle of the floor, as if someone had dropped it by accident. Nearby was an open tool box.

Charlie couldn't help but laugh. He bent down and picked the knife up, smirking. "My, my, aren't you a sight for sore eyes. I do believe I've found an integral piece of evidence. Too bad I'm keeping you all to myself…"

* * *

On the hour, Old Fortune rang out the school's anthem. It was immediately followed by an announcement from Monobear.

"Well done, everyone! For your first investigation, you've performed spectacularly. The board of directors really knew what they were doing when they selected you bastards to attend St. Fortuna's. Anyways, it's time for the trial! The moment of truth! Now the real question is…what building will the trial be held in?"

_Click._

The silence that followed told them that Monobear wanted them to figure it out on their own.

"The Law Building." Carter said instantly.

Grant blinked. "We have a Law Building?"

Teresa gave him a look. "Obviously. Or else I wouldn't even be here."

"I saw it when I was exploring campus." Carter confirmed with a nod. "Should we meet up with everyone before we go?"

"…I suppose we should." Alistair said quietly.

They headed downstairs after closing the door to Elaine and Karah's room quietly. Sorrow hung heavy in their hearts. It was time to leave their deceased friends behind. As if connected by telepathy, the three groups converged outside the dorm.

"You player!" Reeta shouted furiously when she saw Charlie. Before he could even react, she charged at him and slapped him right across the face.

He held his throbbing cheek and glared at Reeta. "Don't touch me!" He snapped, "And don't hate the player, hate the game! Christ."

Teresa didn't bother getting involved. There was something much bigger at hand and she needed to keep her focus.

The group didn't leave until they had all fourteen students. Kirby attempted to count everyone up before they left. Her heart fell when she thought about Elaine and Karah missing from their ranks. She clutched her Bible a little closer, drawing comfort from it. Natalie stood nearby, shaking and trying not to cry. She had to leave Mina behind in their room. She didn't want to think about what would happen to her cat if she didn't make it out of this alive.

Quietly, the group of college students began to trek across campus, towards the Law Building. Libra was lugging her camera and her laptop, prepared to share her knowledge. Teresa carried all sorts of notes with her while Charlie walked right behind her, smiling smugly.

"So…I take it you're going to play the hero today, are you?" He said smoothly, matching his pace to hers.

Teresa smiled. There was a faint, red handprint on Charlie's cheek that entertained her to no end. "Perhaps. So what if I am?"

Charlie's eyes sparkled mischievously. "You might want to wait on that. Someone might be planning to upstage you." With a skip to his step, Charlie walked on by.

Teresa watched him suspiciously, wondering if he was hiding something or merely flirting with her. He didn't seem to be carrying anything. She looked all around, wondering if he could be referring to another student. Everyone's faces were grim and full of determination. No one said a word.

_Whatever… _She thought, mildly disgruntled, _I'm getting to the bottom of this, with or without their help._

As they arrived at the Law Building, Teresa stepped out in front of the others and faced them. Her glasses flashed in the light of the sun. "To the culprit…" She said in a strong voice, "I want you to know that you picked the wrong prosecutor to cross. I _will _get to the bottom of this case in the name of justice and make you pay for every sin you've committed."

She swept her gaze over the faces before her, but they were all blank. The culprit, whoever they were, did not bat an eyelash.

"That was awesome." Libra breathed, her camera practically glued to her face, red light on as she filmed Teresa.

Teresa looked away. "Come on…let's go in." She murmured. She turned around and tried the door. It easily swung open. Just like in the Rec Hall, there were signs pointing them where to go. The hallways were dark and empty. After venturing further in, they found themselves standing before an elevator.

'In here, bastards!' a familiar sign read. Kirby refrained from tearing it down. In the next moment, the elevator doors slid open silently.

"What have we done? What are we even doing here?!" Gustav wailed suddenly from the back of the crowd, "We're all going to die! Die, I say! We don't even have the motive or anything else figured out and we're _doomed. _DOOMED!"

"Gustav, please—" Natalie whimpered. Everyone turned around to see Gustav had just leaped in front of Libra's camera and was putting on a dramatic performance. Nevertheless, it greatly unnerved them. Fearfully, they entered the elevator. The doors shut behind them with a sort of finality...as if their fates had already been sealed.

Charlie grinned, but he could feel a bead of sweat run down from his forehead. "Nice and cozy in here, isn't it?" He said, trying to ease the tension.

_He's hiding something. He's definitely hiding something. _Teresa thought, beginning to grow furious. Hopefully, Charlie would be smart enough to reveal his findings in the trial. If not, she would force it out of him.

The elevator began its descent, deep into the earth. It moved slowly and creakily, as if it would give out at any moment and plummet. Nervous tension permeated the air, turning stomachs and causing palms to sweat. After what seemed to take ages, the elevator clanked to a rough stop.

The doors opened and everyone shyly stepped out, finding themselves in a rectangular lounge area. Off to the left was a restroom. Right in front of them was a regal-looking pair of double doors. Everyone paused before it, but Teresa forged on ahead bravely, pushing open the doors. Light flooded in and they found themselves in the trial room. It was lavishly decorated with an array of bright colors. Red curtains hung on concrete walls; the floor was checkered black and white. At the center of the room was a circle of pedestals, labeled with the names of the students. They would be standing for the duration of the trial, facing their peers in the debate of a lifetime.

Sitting on a throne was Monobear himself. His one red eye seemed to flash with anticipation. The usual toothy grin was plastered on his face. He waved his chubby arms and shouted, "Welcome, welcome!"

The students approached slowly, warily, taking cautious steps towards their assigned places. In Karah and Elaine's spots were colorless portraits standing on signposts. Red paint crossed out each of their pictures with an 'X.' Elaine looked nervous in her photo, as if she was already aware of her fate. Karah had on a grin that showed off her braces, her eyes shining at the prospect of a new life. A new life that was never meant to be.

Alistair took his place, which happened to be right next to their fallen classmate. He remembered Karah's confession from the previous night and felt a stab of guilt. Maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way if he had simply walked her back to her room.

"What's up with this?" Noah asked quizzically, eyeing Elaine's picture to his right.

Monobear's face turned towards him. "So we won't soon forget the friends we've lost." He replied in an ominous voice.

No one responded for a long moment.

Then Natalie began to cry. "Please let us leave, Monobear. Please. If it's money you want—"

Monobear slouched in his seat, laughing, "You think this is some kind of hostage situation? That's not it at all!"

"What is it, then?" Kirby asked furiously, glaring at Monobear. "Why are you doing this to us?"

"Because it's fun!" Monobear roared, holding his belly as he shook with laughter, "Watching you despair, watching you bastards kill one another for the silliest reasons…I can't get enough of it! But enough talk…you're obviously trying to distract me from what we came here for. But I won't let you!"

Monobear rose to his feet, standing tall over the students. He raised a paw and said in a ringing voice:

"Let the trial…commence!"


	8. Court is in Session

**Guest, first of all thank you for the review (I wish I could respond in a PM and say this to guests more often), but PinaColadaFox would like to make you aware that Robin is hers…not Gustav. That is all. XD**

**Oh wait. I feel the need to say something else. I should let you lovely people know I know absolutely nothing about Dangan Ronpa Zero. I'm also uneducated when it comes to Dangan Ronpa 2 because Fatgami's death was too traumatic for me to move past, among other things. It just wasn't the game for me. So I guess I would like to apologize for any similarities or future occurrences because apparently there's some Future Foundation thing and…yeah. Didn't they try to explain how the despair incident went down too? And the answer was less than satisfying? I don't even know. I'm probably going to get facts wrong. I'm just keeping stuff limited to the first game where everything was open-ended. Just FYI. :)**

**Last of all, the trial is split into multiple parts. Yeah it's short (actually this chapter alone is 3,500 words so not too too short), but it's more climactic that way! And the climax inference is super fun…as are all of the executions. ^_^ Enjoy!**

Silence reigned.

Teresa looked at all of the faces around her. Everyone's eyes were on her, gleaming with expectations. _You're the SCL Prosecutor, _they read, _you figure this out._

She lifted her chin and said importantly, "All right, I'm going to do my best to solve this case. But I need _everyone's _participation. I haven't even decided on a culprit to prosecute yet, though I might have one or two in mind."

"Who?" Carter asked suspiciously.

"Later. I don't want anyone jumping to conclusions." Teresa pulled out the notes she had taken. "First, I'm going to present the evidence. Grant, keep me on track in case I miss anything. When I'm finished, we're going to view Libra's footage to try and establish alibis." She nodded to a projector and a blank, white screen that was nearby for their use.

Grant offered an easy smile, ready to provide his knowledge. Everyone else remained quiet and allowed Teresa to take it away.

"As you are aware, the victims died at 12:44 and 1:12 AM last night. The scene was set up to look like they had murdered each other. We have deduced that they did not kill one another, as the crime scene was tampered with. A great deal of blood was missing, despite the methods of murder. Elaine was killed with a beer bottle blow to the head. Karah's throat was slit…with what; we have yet to find out. We think it may have been a glass shard, but it seems unlikely."

"We know all this already." Asui mumbled under her breath.

Suddenly, Reeta burst out, "Don't forget the evidence _we _found!"

Teresa suppressed an annoyed sigh. "I was getting to that, girls. Reeta's group found spots of blood at the bottom of a luggage trolley. Apparently, Blake's ID card was found in the basement…also with blood on it."

There was a loud thud. Gustav had dropped over in a dead faint—a fake one, of course. He didn't seem to be taking this seriously at all. Charlie, who was next to him, let loose a chuckle. "Well, I guess that about sums it up. Nice knowin' ya, Blake."

"I'm not the culprit!" Blake burst out, throwing up his arms, "I swear, I'm not!"

"The culprit shouldn't lie to us…" Kirby murmured, "Killing someone and then lying about it is despicable…"

"_I didn't kill anyone!_"

"I didn't say you did! I just meant in general…!"

"People, people!" Noah interrupted, waving his hand in a relaxed fashion. He was leaning heavily on the railing in front of him, eyes half-closed in contentment. "This is all very entertaining. But if you ask me, we're straying off-topic. We gotta think about what's important. Teresa…?" He turned his gaze to her.

"Thank you." She returned, smiling sweetly at Noah, "There was one more thing Grant found that might be of interest."

Grant blinked. "Oh yeah! I found some traces of blood-soaked paper underneath Elaine's body. It was practically disintegrated. I'm not sure how it went down, but I think it's pretty safe to assume this is how the blood was absorbed from the scene. Shame we couldn't find this paper. The culprit probably hid it."

"…Interesting." Alistair said, blinking slowly.

"We'll get into more detail later." Teresa said firmly, "I think it's time we looked at Libra's footage. Then we'll have some alibis covered."

The film director was so absorbed in capturing the moment that she didn't hear her name called. Robin had to reach over and tap her on the shoulder to get her moving. Flustered, she uttered a quick apology and went to play the tape.

Once again, Robin leaving with an armful of beer bottles was the very first thing to appear. His face turned redder than it already was. This time, he did not keep his mouth shut on the matter.

"Why did you include this? It doesn't even take place during the murders!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Teresa replied, adjusting her sunglasses, "That's the murder weapon. You're one of the people who left the party early and therefore have no alibi…just like Natalie, Kirby, and Carter."

"Hold it." Carter spoke up softly. He had been listening to each detail in silence, his mind trying to work over some sort of solution. But as soon as his name came up, he could not afford to be quiet any longer. "The three of us have an alibi."

"Yes! We do!" Kirby burst out, looking immensely relieved. "The three of us went back to me and Natalie's dorm for a quiet night in. We played Scrabble."

"Carter won." Natalie offered. When everyone looked at her, she blushed and sunk down a little bit as if to hide. "Um…just in case you needed to know."

"So you were together until well past midnight?" Alistair questioned calmly. His tone held no suspicion in it.

Kirby nodded, speaking up for her friends. "We invited Carter over a little later because we thought he might be lonely. And we still wanted the night to be fun for all of us!"

At that moment, Asui reached into the pocket of her cargo pants and pulled out a crumpled note. It was her list from earlier, the one she had been using to keep track of who the culprit was. She crossed out the Scrabble trio's names. _These three never seemed the killer type… _She mused to herself, _except maybe Kirby, carrying that Bible around with her. It's like she's trying too hard to make us think she's a good person. _

They watched more of the film. In a stroke of luck, Libra's camera had been running during Elaine's murder. They spotted various faces—Noah, Charlie, Grant, Karah, Teresa, and Reeta were all accounted for. Alistair was not seen but his voice was heard as he asked why Libra wasn't drinking.

"There's me!" Blake sighed with relief when he saw his dirty blonde head resting on the arm of a couch.

"I was there too, the entire night," Asui said nervously, scanning the screen. Her expression grew hard. "I was just staying out of the way because I knew what Libra was up to."

"What was she up to?" Kirby wondered innocently.

Asui didn't respond and glared at her roommate. Libra avoided everyone's eyes, not looking sorry at all. Gustav, who was back on his feet, began to complain that he wasn't there either. It was as if Libra had purposely gone out of her way _not _to film him. Alistair tried to steer the conversation back on topic.

"I took Karah home after that." He admitted, "She can't have been killed not long after I left." He was aware that everyone was shooting him furtive glances, wondering if he had snuck up on Karah and slit her throat. He pretended not to notice.

Grant, meanwhile, was racking his brain to remember last night. He wished he hadn't drunk so much. Otherwise it would be incredibly easy to say who was there and who wasn't. "Can we finish the film before we talk more?" He asked.

They viewed the rest of the footage. It was from Libra's point of view as she tried to lasso the drunken college students. Just before leaving, she had focused on a shot of Blake passed out on the couch, yelling at him to wake up. She had even slapped him lightly on the cheek, but to no avail. Teresa, Asui, Noah, Charlie, Gustav, Reeta, and Grant left with Libra's aid.

"This doesn't mean anything," Teresa interrupted, "The culprit could have returned to the party; it ended so many hours after the murder."

Libra sounded slightly defensive, muttering, "Sorry, thought it might be important."

"Guys, I think I got this figured out." Blake announced, eyes lighting up.

A snicker nearly escaped Teresa's lips. She seriously doubted he had come up with anything, but she allowed him to continue.

"Someone stole my ID at the party while I was hammered and tried to frame me!" He said, his voice rising and filling up the courtroom. "And then they used it to get into my room and wipe the blood on the bathroom ceiling. And they transported the blood with the trolley, I guess."

Silence followed his words. Monobear let out a cruel laugh and leaned back in his chair. He had been so silent the others had nearly forgotten about him. "Is that your final answer?" He teased.

"There's…there's blood on your bathroom ceiling?" Grant murmured, looking rather excited.

Blake nodded. "Yeah. Some kind weird-looking stain that might be blood." Suddenly, everyone was looking at Robin again.

"Oh, come on!" He said through gritted teeth, "You really think I'd kill a girl then smear her blood on the ceiling of a bathroom _another person has access to_?"

"That's what I want to know." Charlie snorted.

Robin took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. His heart was pounding in his chest. As calmly as he could, he explained, "You say that someone must have stolen your ID while you were drunk, so you couldn't have noticed…well, I left the party _before _everyone got smashed. When she—" He signaled to Libra, "pulled out her camera just as the rest of you started getting rowdy. I left and I never came back!"

"You could've stolen it from his dorm! You room together!" Reeta accused, beginning to get fired up.

"Wrong!" Robin retaliated, "We all needed to get our IDs to get into the party. I was with Blake when we came in."

Asui's eyes burned with accusations. "How convenient."

"Monobear can vouch for me." Robin said. Bile rose in his throat as he was forced to look to the bear for help.

Monobear hopped to his feet and raised a paw, giggling, "That's right! Mr. Football Star used his ID to get into the party. So why did his ID make it home, but he didn't…?"

"Ooh, I know! I know! Because someone stole it!" Gustav said cheerfully, bouncing up and down.

Teresa couldn't have been happier to have everyone conversing like this. But she felt like they were constantly getting off-topic. "Asui, who doesn't have a solid alibi so far?" She asked, looking across the room to her former friend.

Asui pondered the list. "Robin has no alibi for either murder. Everyone else…I think we're all covered for the first murder, but there are a number of people that could have committed the second since Libra turned her camera off."

Robin realized that the brunt of the suspicion was on him. And it was not going away anytime soon. They were truly beginning to believe he had hurt Elaine. He swallowed his nerves, trying to come up with a way to defend himself. "You already know I didn't steal Blake's ID card. Why would I, when I can get into my room myself?"

"To frame him," Teresa responded easily. Her voice was tough as steel.

Robin tried to ignore her and go on. "Someone could have stolen it and came into our room themselves. Maybe when I was sleeping. But why would they smear blood on the ceiling? Doesn't that seem like an odd thing to do?" He could see many people weren't having a change of heart. He decided to attack this from a different angle. "You know, Elaine was a girl! And a smart one at that, a psychologist for God's sake. She wouldn't have let me into her room!"

"You're a businessman." Carter murmured, "I'm sure you could have convinced her to."

"And she might have had something to drink!" Gustav suggested helpfully. "Her judgment would have been more skewered than a shish kebob!"

Alistair smirked knowingly. "If you were as observant as I, you would know that Elaine didn't drink. I happened to be nearby when she tried the beer and she immediately spat it out. But in the meantime…I do believe Robin is onto something."

Robin blinked. "Ahh…I am?" He said lightly.

"A character study is in order." Alistair declared, unbuttoning his black jacket. He reached inside one of its many hidden pockets and pulled out a familiar-looking notebook. "Do you all recognize this?"

Noah scratched his head. "You're going to have to be more specific. We're not playing twenty questions, you know."

"Fine. It's Elaine's notebook. She carried this with her wherever she went, even up until her death. She recorded many of her observations and has entries on each of us."

"Where did you get that?" Teresa asked, surprised.

Alistair couldn't help but smile a bit. "I took it off the body."

"Wow, you must be some kind of ninja!" Grant laughed, "I didn't even notice."

"You were just absorbed in studying the crime scene." Alistair said modestly. "Monobear…would you be so kind as to allow me to read a few entries?"

"Aww, you're sweet." Monobear chuckled, "Go right ahead, you don't need my permission, Mr. Magician!"

"Illusionist," Alistair corrected. He flipped open the notebook, turning to the notes Elaine had made on Robin. He was the prime suspect at the moment.

Everyone listened, straining to hear what Elaine had to say about her prospective killer.

Alistair cleared his throat and read in a lilting voice, "'Robin comes off as a polite and warm young fellow. But by reading his microexpressions, it's clear that he dislikes most people. I have observed his cynical personality slip through his businesslike demeanor more than once. Now that Monobear has announced this 'game,' I feel like he can't be trusted.'" When he had finished, Alistair lifted his eyes and looked to Robin for his reaction.

After a moment, Robin realized his jaw was hanging open like a fool. He was speechless. Everyone was glaring at him, the desire for vengeance lining every feature of his or her faces.

"Dislikes most people…can't be trusted…" Reeta repeated under her breath. "I think that just about does it."

"Wait!" Blake spoke up. Everyone looked to him in wonderment. His brow was furrowed as his mind worked over Elaine's journal entry. "Uh…wasn't the point of reading this…finding out what Elaine thought of Robin?"

Teresa gave an exasperated sigh. "Well done, Blake. At least you've managed to keep up until now." She said, the sarcasm clear in her tone.

Blake grimaced and shook his head. "No. I mean—Elaine didn't trust Robin. Why would she have let him into her room? Besides, the lock on the door wasn't broken…was it?"

"No it was not!" Grant confirmed.

"So how else would he have gotten in?"

Robin began wringing his hands, a nervous grin twitching at his mouth. "Yes, yes, that's true! Thank you for pointing that out, my friend."

"You're making it sound like you're already in the clear." Asui said, sounding disgusted.

"BZBZZT!" Monobear spoke so suddenly, so loudly, that a few students cried out in surprise. He was sitting upright in his chair, grinning. "I do believe it's time for a short break. Please exit the courtroom and gather in the lounge area you saw when you first came in."

Gustav clapped his hands. "You're giving us a break?"

"Yeah, you guys are probably tired from standing, aren't you? I'm a very caring bear, you see. I keep all of my students' best interests at heart."

"I'll bet you do…" Libra mumbled, lowering her camera.

"Wait!" Teresa said, throwing up a hand, "Before we part ways, I'd like to review everything we've covered so far…Robin." She turned to him.

He flinched, knowing what was coming.

"You are our number one suspect. The way I see it, you took Blake's ID card before leaving the party…even if he wasn't drunk, you managed to pickpocket off of him, somehow. You returned to your room with a few bottles and drank yourself silly. Then, in one way or another, you got into Elaine's room and tarried at the crime scene. When Karah came, you had no choice to kill her too. Your drunken state led you to catch the blood with paper and wipe it on the ceiling, for some strange reason. I'm still trying to work in the trolley…I've considered the notion that the crime might have taken place somewhere else, but it seems more likely you used it to transport the bloodied paper."

"Number one, I didn't 'drink myself silly.'" Robin said, his face sinking into a scowl, "Number two, your hypothesis is riddled with—"

"Hey, hey!" Monobear growled, waving both arms, "I said court was dismissed! Now get in the lounge area before I _make _you!"

Unwilling to face the wrath of Monobear, the students hurried out. Those that held onto evidence made sure it was secured before leaving. The fourteen teenagers huddled in the narrow lounge area, talking in hushed voices. A water cooler provided a nice drink to those with parched throats. Most of them congregated around there, casting suspicious glances towards Robin, who had collapsed in an armchair on the other side of the room.

Libra approached him, smiling nervously. "Mind if I interview you?" She asked, attempting to look endearing.

Robin wasn't swayed, but he agreed to it anyway. Libra sat across from him and flicked the camera on. Then she began rattling off a number of questions. Robin glared straight into the camera, answering each one in clipped tones.

"If you're not the murderer and everyone winds up voting for you…well, could you even begin to imagine that?" Libra asked intently.

Robin clenched his fists, wrinkling the smooth fabric of his dress pants. His eyes narrowed. "If they vote for the wrong person, we all get executed. Correct?"

Libra nodded.

"Then at least I can find solace in the fact that all of my classmates will die alongside me and pay for their mistake."

"How could you!"

Both Libra and Robin looked up to see Kirby standing before them. Her Bible was clutched tightly to her chest and grief shone in her eyes. She covered her mouth with a hand and said in a trembling voice, "How could you say such a thing? Don't you care for the people around you, even a little…?"

Robin was surprised at the amount of hurt in her face. He immediately felt ashamed of his actions and desperately grabbed for words of comfort, but none came to him. He could only stare at her like a deer in headlights.

Kirby reached up and wiped at her eyes. "I'm…I'm sorry." She turned and walked away, head bowed. She felt terrible for her outburst. All her life, she had believed everyone had some good in them. Her parents, who had homeschooled her, taught her this. She clung to those beliefs.

But that was before two girls wound up dead. That was before she found out the murderer was among the people she thought were 'good.'

Now, she didn't know what to believe.


	9. Blind Justice

**O Fortuna has a fanart section on my profile! Check it out! And if you want to be added/taken off the list, just let me know. :)**

**On a more serious note, I've seen a lot of SYOCs popping up in the Dangan Ronpa archive lately. I hope these people know what they're getting themselves into because writing murder mysteries complete with evidence is no easy task. X_X And I don't know whether people writing those will see this or not but I really have no idea where else to put it…but it seems like people are using my profile. I gave Ginger permission to use it cause we cool yo and I guess it spread from there, but I would like to say that the profile was specifically created for my story. Some of those categories are motives. ^^' And I would strongly encourage people to create their own motives for the sake of originality. That is all! **

Alistair was currently invested in Elaine's journal. He sat alone in an armchair, flipping through each page with a calm expression. Gustav stood nearby, casting him curious glances. He departed the conversation he had been sharing with Noah, who marched off looking offended. But the actor was intent on asking his roommate a question.

"Did she write about me?" Gustav asked, pointing to himself with both hands and smiling.

Alistair lifted his eyes and studied Gustav for a long moment.

Gustav blinked. "What? Is my makeup smeared?" He wondered, poking at his face.

"No." Alistair murmured, "And yes, she did write about you. Are you certain you want to hear it? These entries aren't exactly uplifting."

"Yeah, I wanna hear it!" Gustav said cheerfully, though something nagged at the back of his mind. Something that told him, _ignorance is bliss. _But he shook it off and grinned as Alistair searched for the correct entry. As he did so, the two became aware that everyone else had quieted down dramatically. They were listening in.

When Alistair found the page, he stared at it for a long moment. Then he sighed and read, "'I'm inclined to believe that Gustav has some sort of dependent personality disorder. Maybe not completely, but he shows signs of it. He's very clingy and exceedingly childlike, but otherwise, there are no other symptoms. Perhaps he's just been raised in abnormal conditions.'" Alistair turned the page, casting a meaningful glance at Gustav as he did so. "Do you wish me to continue?"

Gustav's eyes were wide and unseeing, his large lips parted. He barely managed a nod.

Alistair read on: "'My conjecture is that he never experienced a normal childhood, due to being a child actor. He was never able to spend time with his parents and was always on the move, yet he constantly craved their attention. This may be the reason why he acts like a child…he's trying to make up for lost time.'"

Everyone had fallen silent by now. Gustav stood in the same spot, blinking repeatedly. He was quiet for once in his life.

"…Is it true?" Alistair asked, lifting his eyebrows inquisitively.

Suddenly, Gustav's normal demeanor broke free. A huge grin spread across his face and he laughed, "Of course it's true, silly! Then again, maybe it's not! Maybe I'm just not ready to grow up!" He performed a neat twirl, then bounced off to speak with someone else.

Alistair merely narrowed his eyes, lost in thought. _His acting skills are beyond compare, _He acknowledged, _No wonder he was invited to attend St. Fortuna's._

Still, he had seen Gustav's act slip for just a moment. Yes, he was still a child at heart. But he was not as carefree as he seemed.

With everyone distracted by Gustav's stint, Teresa was able to back Charlie into a corner and speak to him privately. He seemed flattered at the close contact. Teresa was right up in his face, trying to appear intimidating.

"What's this?" Charlie teased, "Feeling a little doubtful of your prosecuting skills so you're trying to get in one last make out session before we all bite the dust?"

Teresa bit back a furious retort. Instead, she matched his easy smile and moved a little closer. "Oh, Charlie…" She said in a teasing voice, leaning in to whisper directly into his ear, "I know you're hiding something. You can't hide it forever."

"Can't I…?" Charlie mused, very much enjoying how things were playing out.

"No. You can't," Teresa said, daintily slipping her fingers around his wrist. Without warning, she squeezed it with all her might, digging her nails into his skin. She saw Charlie cringe slightly. The humor vanished from his eyes for a brief moment. But he quickly regained himself and smirked.

"All right," He decided, "I guess it's about time I stepped in to play the hero, huh?"

"Don't flatter yourself." Teresa said through gritted teeth, keeping a firm hold on his wrist and twisting it, "Hiding evidence from the court is not heroic—it's illegal. Don't make me punish you for it."

Charlie laughed, "Whoa, it's getting hot up in here! Do I get to pick the manner of punishment?"

Everyone was beginning to look in their direction. Charlie soaked up the attention, but Teresa didn't want them knowing what was happening. She let go of Charlie's wrist and turned away. "…Just don't forget what I said." She said in a light voice, giving him an innocent smile.

Charlie rubbed his wrist, looking relaxed. "I gotcha, babe."

Finally, Monobear called them back into the room and they took their places at their separate podiums. Teresa was looking at Charlie intently, but he didn't look back. His eyes were narrowed at the ground. She opened her mouth to call him out, but someone else spoke up before she could.

"I've been thinking…" Kirby said quietly, "Are we going about this the right way? What if there are two murderers…it's possible, isn't it?" She looked to Monobear awkwardly.

He nodded. "Definitely possible!"

"I have enough of a hard time believing _one _of us would kill." Reeta muttered. "Now you're saying it could be two?"

"Well…Libra turned her camera off. So only Natalie and I have solid alibis during Karah's murder. Right?"

"Hm?" Asui said, looking suspiciously at Carter, "What about him? He was with you, wasn't he?"

Carter was silent for a long moment. Finally, he spoke slowly, "I left their dorm…around 1 AM, I believe. I went straight back to mine to go to bed."

"Then that makes you a suspect for the second murder." Teresa said flatly.

"Wait just a minute!" Kirby cried out. "I'm positive Carter didn't do it! He's not—"

"No. We _have _to treat these murders as separate cases, just like you said. There could have been two culprits." Teresa explained, shooting Kirby a glance that silenced her. "Be grateful you and Natalie have alibis."

"Wait." Carter interrupted. His voice was soft, but it demanded attention. He had just remembered an important detail. "You can cover for me…Asui." He turned his hazel eyes on hers.

Teresa felt a twinge of surprise. "What do you mean?"

Carter looked back to the prosecutor. "I nearly forgot…I passed Asui on the way back to my room, on the first floor."

Teresa's eyebrows lifted. "Asui? But she claimed to have been at the party for the entirety of the night."

Asui visibly scowled. Now everyone was looking at _her _with those accusing eyes. It was a horrid feeling. "Fine! I lied!" She confessed, "Elaine asked me to walk her home, but I came back right away. I didn't say anything because I didn't want you to suspect me! Because if you condemn the wrong person then we're all…we're all…"

"We understand," Kirby said kindly, "But you still shouldn't lie like that. We need nothing but the truth here."

Asui held back a few choice words and closed her eyes, waiting for her stomach to stop churning. "I'm sorry," She whispered, voice trembling.

"…What time did Elaine leave the party, again? Didn't she leave early?" Reeta wondered, but no one answered. No one could remember and it wasn't shown on the film, though Elaine was last showed on camera a while before she died. Her final scene was when she was on the dance floor, talking to Karah—

"Asking her to walk her home!" Grant yelped. Everyone looked at him. He chuckled and pumped the air with his fist. "I think I remember! Elaine was out on the dance floor with us…I kinda knocked her over…but I think she left after that! And Karah told her to have someone walk her home."

Asui rolled her eyes. "Congratulations, we already established I walked her home when I said it ten seconds ago."

Grant waved a hand. "That's not the point! I meant to say that you walked her home an hour or two before she was killed, right? So why were you still hanging around the dorm when Karah was killed?"

A hush fell over the students.

Asui could feel her stomach roiling again. Through gritted teeth, she hissed, "You're just lashing out at whoever is the least bit suspicious, aren't you? Well, what about all of that evidence stacked up against Robin? I might have told a few white lies, but you still don't have _any _evidence against me!"

"And that's where you're wrong."

Everyone looked to where Charlie stood, three spots down from Asui. He was reaching into the pocket of his custom-tailored suit, eyes darting about the room. Every face was turned towards him, waiting to see what he would say. He offered them one last smile before pulling the item out of his pocket with a grand flourish.

"Behold, the most important piece of evidence: the murder weapon." Charlie said smoothly, turning the little knife in his hands. It caught the many lights of the courtroom, causing the dried blood to gleam. "If you only had looked a little harder, like myself, you would have found this hiding in the janitor's closet. Can anyone tell me what this is?"

"A scalpel, of course." Noah answered instantly, "You know, I saw them use one of those babies for surgery in Africa. No painkillers or anything—just a stone-cold blade. Sometimes we don't know how good we have it until we visit a 3rd world country."

Charlie tried to refrain from rolling his eyes. Noah would not steal this moment from him. He thrust the scalpel in Natalie's direction. "That's right. Scalpels are used for surgery. So I'm sure a veterinarian would have easy access to this kind of murder weapon—am I right?"

Natalie bit her lip. "B-but I have an-an-an alibi!" She gasped, nearly falling off her podium as she took a step back.

Charlie laughed. "I know, I was just messin' with ya!"

"Rude." Reeta muttered under her breath, shaking her head angrily.

Charlie ignored her. "There's someone else here who might use a scalpel in their line of work. Right, Grant?"

"Dude, I had an alibi too. At least for Elaine's murder." Grant said, beginning to sweat. "You saw me on camera."

"This isn't Elaine's murder weapon. This was used to slit Karah's throat." Charlie answered, but his eyes were flicking towards someone else. "But there's one more person that would have used one of these. Not for surgery or dissection…but for art."

"Asui," Teresa confirmed, looking directly across the courtroom towards the suspect, "And she wasn't spotted on camera during Elaine's murder."

"But I was there!" Asui burst out defensively, "Besides, anyone could have gotten their hands on a scalpel! I bet they're not so hard to come by in the Arts Building."

Carter spoke up. "The Arts Building is locked, remember?"

"It's not mine!" Asui said wildly, looking about the room. Her gaze settled on Libra, who had the camera pointed in her direction. Her temper flared. "Libra could have stolen it from my room, followed Karah back, and slit her throat with a scalpel!"

Libra lowered the camera, matching her roommate's enraged expression. "So which is it?" She growled. "You just said it's not yours!"

"Carter, did Asui appear very suspicious when you crossed paths with her last night?" Teresa asked, ignoring the roommate spat and turning back to the archaeologist.

His eyes widened. "Now that I think about it…she was pushing a trolley."

"I was transporting art supplies into the basement," Asui said quickly, "My room was overcrowded."

"Wait," Charlie cleared his throat, raising a hand for silence. Of course, everyone gave it to him. "I have another crucial piece of evidence."

"Then by all means, please share with us." Teresa said impatiently.

Once again, Charlie was milking this moment for all it was worth. He swept his gaze around the room, murmuring, "Unfortunately, I could not bring this with me, so you'll just have to take my word for it. But there was something else I found in the janitor's closet, along with the murder weapon. The tool box had been opened." He paused, waiting for some sort of reaction.

"…So?" Blake wondered, giving it to him.

Charlie went on, "Something was missing. A screwdriver. Now, what could a screwdriver possibly be used for? Is there anything in the case we could connect it to?"

His question was met with little response. Everyone was thinking hard. Blake made a wild guess about using it to break into Elaine's room, but they had already established it hadn't been tampered with. When Charlie could see they weren't getting anywhere, he decided to help them out.

"Well, I might have a guess…and this is purely hypothetical, but let's go back to talking about the stain. We all thought Robin had a lapse in IQ and wiped blood on the ceiling, right?"

Everyone muttered a confirmation. Robin gave an audible snort.

"But what if that's not the case. What if it leaked down from above?"

Realization seemed to dawn on everyone at once. It showed on their faces. Teresa refused to let it show on hers. She was highly disgruntled that Charlie was stealing the show. He didn't deserve this sort of praise, when he had hidden evidence from the court during the first half of the trial.

"Perhaps you're right and there is a leaky drain in the room above," Alistair spoke up, "Perhaps the criminal dumped blood down the sink or shower. But that still has nothing to do with the missing screwdriver."

Charlie gave a dramatic sigh. "I guess I have to explain everything, don't I? You sure are lucky to have me! Anyways, here's what my brilliant mind has surmised…"

Frustration flickered in Alistair's eyes, but he stayed silent.

Charlie began by explaining that he believed Elaine's murder was premeditated, but Karah's was not. As Grant said, the culprit put paper on the ground to soak up the blood for one reason or another—most likely, they wanted to move the crime scene somewhere they could pin it on Blake. Elaine was killed, but then Karah showed up. The first plan was abandoned and the paper could not be left at the crime scene or else it would betray who had been there. The trolley was used to transport it to the culprit's room…where they stuffed the paper down the drain.

After that, Charlie directly addressed Asui. "…I do hope you're not running low on paper. Don't artists carry around gigantic easels or something?"

Asui just stared at him, her expression a mixture of horror and anger.

Everyone was in awe at Charlie's detailed assumption. Everyone except Teresa. "You're taking wild shots in the dark." She said quietly, "There are so many more ways this could have gone down. Maybe there _were _two culprits. Maybe Robin killed Elaine, then Asui came along and killed Karah."

"That still doesn't solve how Robin got into Elaine's room." Alistair said, rustling the pages of his notebook, "Asui, however… 'Asui seems like she's been through a lot. She seems suspicious of everyone around her, as if they're going to hurt her. But I want to bring her out of that shell and get her to make friends with Karah, so they can connect at an artistic level. I'd love to get to know Asui more.' Perhaps Asui was gone from the party longer than she claimed."

Silence.

Teresa realized Charlie was looking at her. He seemed quite satisfied with the way things had turned out. As soon as their eyes locked, he gave her a wide grin and mouthed, "Take it away, girlie!"

She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, looking to Monobear. "I want to see a map of the dorms, please."

Monobear's ears twitched in annoyance. "Sheesh, what are you putting _me_ to work for?"

"You're the judge. Finding out the truth should be important to you." Teresa said reasonably, "And if we all die here, then your fun little game of Mutual Killing ends in one swoop."

Monobear hesitated. He sat as still as a statue on his throne. Suddenly, the projector displayed a blown-up image of the dorm map. As soon as it was up, he huffed, "There you go. If you try to manipulate me again, I'm going to have you pay for it!"

Teresa ignored him, drawing everyone's attention to the map. "Look at the room above Blake and Robin's. If Charlie's theory is correct…that's the murderer's room."

All eyes settled on the room in question. A tiny label betrayed whom the dorm belonged to.

_Asui and Libra._

"I didn't do it!" Libra burst out, "I was filming during Elaine's murder! I have an alibi!"

"I know…but your roommate doesn't." Teresa said. She looked away, focusing on Asui who was directly across from her. "You're awfully silent, friend…do you have anything to say in your defense?"

For a moment, Asui didn't respond. Her lips seemed to be trying to form words. Everyone's gazes seared her skin. Rage overflowed and the next thing she knew, she was screaming, "I've _been _defending myself! You idiots just aren't listening! _Why would I kill anyone? _I'm not a monster! I wouldn't just take a life without feeling any sympathy whatsoever!"

She broke off, panting furiously. She looked wildly around the room, as if daring someone to argue. Gustav began to say something, but she cut him off with a loud string of curses. The short teenager crouched behind his podium, looking like a frightened mouse.

Teresa waited until Asui had finished swearing to speak. She crossed her arms and lowered her head. "Are you sure about that…because I think you would."

A sharp gasp came from her left. Kirby seemed terribly distraught, biting her lip. Her face read, _how could you say such a thing? _But she knew better than to voice this aloud.

Asui's eyes burned green fire. Her lips drew back in a scowl, but she waited for Teresa to go on.

Teresa realized that this was the moment she had been working towards ever since she became a prosecutor. Her heart pounded with fear. She had imagined this scene in her head so many times, building up her fantasy. What if it didn't live up to her expectations?

But she couldn't hesitate. She would not let this moment pass by. She reached up and whipped off her glasses.

Gustav's dramatic shriek nearly made her cower, but she refused to back down. She held her head high, meeting everyone's eyes with her one, good eye. But they were all looking at her other eye. Charlie's face was screwed up with disgust. Natalie's eyes were flooding with tears. But Teresa refused to hide her face in shame.

Her left eyelid was permanently closed. The skin had been punctured years ago and healed into an unsightly, puckered scar. She had spent many hours just staring at it in a mirror, willing it to go away. She knew what the others were seeing.

Finally, Teresa looked at Asui, who had suddenly become very interested in the floor.

"When I was thirteen, an argument with my best friend resulted in an 'accident.'" The prosecutor said quietly, "I lost the use of my left eye that day, but I also discovered who I was. Because my friend was never punished for her action, I swore I would become a prosecutor and bring all criminals to justice."

Asui lifted her eyes to Teresa's but still didn't say anything.

Teresa went on, directly addressing her. "More than anything, I wanted to take you to court. I wanted to see you punished for what you did to me. And I won't deny that I wanted that punishment to be the death sentence. Thank you, Asui, for making my dream come true. If only you hadn't taken the lives of two other girls to do so."

"Wait, wait, wait! Did Asui really do it?" Noah said, shocked, "And she…she did that to your face?" He winced.

Teresa nodded, slowly slipping her glasses back on.

"Some best friend." Charlie muttered darkly.

"Our friendship was falling apart," Asui growled, "Teresa was talking about me behind my back! She purposely provoked me that day. And I was already in a bad mood to begin with."

"Don't make excuses!" Teresa said passionately, her voice nearly rising to a shriek, "I was trying to _salvage _our friendship, that's why I suggested we spend a day together in the first place!"

"Yeah, but then you brought the wrong ingredients for our cookies and kept talking about your _new _friends, like they were so great! I couldn't take it anymore!"

"So you stabbed my eye out! Makes perfect sense!"

"ENOUGH!" Monobear bellowed, his voice filling every corner of the room. Both Teresa and Asui froze. The monochrome bear was on his feet, claws unsheathed. "You bastards have gotten ridiculously off-topic. If you don't do what you came here for, then we're going straight to the voting without finishing the discussion!"

"No, wait! We need more time!" Natalie cried out.

"No, we don't." Teresa murmured. Her gaze had darkened. The fight seemed to have drained out of her and she stood there with her head hanging. "I…think I've managed to piece this together with Asui as the culprit."

"Same here!" Charlie volunteered.

Alistair nodded. "I, as well."

"And me!" Grant added, looking put out. "So much of the evidence points to her, as the SCL Artist. It doesn't help she lied about taking Elaine home and disappeared from the party."

Some began murmuring in agreement, while others just looked lost. "I totally lost track of the conversation." Blake sighed.

Teresa gave a weary smile. "It's fine. I'm happy to explain exactly what happened…"

**Climax Inference is up next! Get pumped!**


	10. Time to Go

**Now it's time for our Climax Inference and it comes in the form of a flashbaaack! How special is that? **

**Um…also I feel the need to say…this execution is not for the faint of heart. I don't know if I should say it's rated M or not, but some descriptions might make you cringe. You've been warned. Make sure to leave a review because I'm off to a nerd convention this weekend (I'm cosplaying Touko!) and I'd love to come home to some feedback! ^^  
**

_It was going to be a long night._

_Asui refused to immerse herself in the party. She clutched a bright red cup in her hand, but she only pretended to sip from it. Nothing would impair her tonight. Her mind was clear as she located Libra's position among the partiers. She was easy to spot, with that obnoxiously large camera of hers._

_It would be a pleasure to kill her. If not her, then perhaps Reeta…or Grant. Grant was a big threat if she was going to get out of here alive. And of course, Teresa. But she wasn't sure if she could do it. Even if their friendship broke apart, the pleasant memories that came before were still there...like an irksome fly.  
_

"_Save the whales!" Noah shouted so loudly that Asui gave a small jump. He turned to her, grinning, "Hey, did you know I run a charity that saves endangered animals in the arctic? Will you donate?"_

"_I know you do." Asui said, forcing a laugh. "You told me. And I already said no."_

_Noah's eyes narrowed accusingly. "I thought you cared about the environment."_

"_I do!"_

"_No you don't." Noah mumbled, turning and stumbling away, "No one cares as much as I do!"_

_Asui rolled her eyes. Boy, was he asking for it. Truthfully…every last person in this room was asking for it. They were all a bunch of idiots; college kids out to ruin their lives or their health in any way that they could. Society may have labeled them as special, but they _weren't.

_When she first came here, Asui had hoped she would be accepted and liked by everyone. But after listening to Monobear, she decided that wasn't important. She wanted to kill someone. It was the ultimate opportunity to commit a murder and face zero repercussions—if you could get away with it. Who wouldn't take the chance? Who wouldn't want to take out their aggressions on humanity? …Well, probably not that Bible-pusher…but she'd have to face reality sooner or later. This was definitely real. No one was coming to rescue them._

_Asui ran a hand over her covered arms. They concealed scars…the sight of blood was comforting. Seeing other people's blood was even better than her own. It was the perfect shade of red. If it were legal, she would paint her greatest works of art with this beautiful fluid. _

"_Um…Asui?"_

_A quiet voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Elaine standing before her, her expression shy. Asui realized she had been smirking and quickly transformed it into a smile that mirrored Elaine's. "Oh. Hello. Enjoying the party?"_

_Elaine looked downcast. "Not really. I was going to go back to the dorm, but Karah is having too much fun…um…would you mind walking back with me?"_

_Asui hesitated to answer. Her eyes flicked to where her potential victims were socializing. _

_Elaine noticed the movement and said quickly, "It's no problem if you're having fun! I can ask someone else—"_

"_No!" Asui cut her off, trying to appear relaxed. However, her heart was beginning to pound with excitement. "I'd be happy to walk back with you. Mind if I go grab a drink before we leave?"_

_Elaine nodded. Then she went to stand by the door and wait for her. Asui was grateful she didn't accompany her to the beer cooler. As she grabbed a frosty bottle, she looked all around. Everyone seemed to be distracted. Libra wasn't aiming the camera in her direction. But that could change within a second._

_Quickly, Asui slunk to the exit and slipped out with Elaine by her side. Elaine couldn't have looked more relieved…but Asui was distracted. A new opportunity had suddenly presented itself. She was alone with the psychologist. She realized with a thrill that killing Elaine would be a good idea. If left alive, she would try to get into the culprit's mind. She might have already realized Asui's depression. But if she had…she didn't say anything. _Some psychologist, _Asui snorted inwardly._

"_Um…so I take it you're not the party type?" Elaine asked nervously as they walked back together._

_Asui shook her head. "No. I just felt obligated to hang around."_

_Elaine sighed. "I know what you mean! I feel like everyone's judging me since I walked out early."_

"_I'm sure they're not." Asui replied dully, "They don't care about anyone but themselves, anyways."_

_There was a surprised silence. Elaine frowned, probably thinking that was a little harsh. But she didn't argue. Only when they arrived back at her room, did she finally thank Asui for coming with her._

"_No problem!" Asui said politely. _

_There was an awkward silence. Asui just stood there, wondering if Elaine would invite her to hang out. She seemed to be thinking it. _

_Finally, she smiled and asked, "Would you like to try and salvage the night with me? It's our second night at college. We should be having fun…good, clean fun."_

_Asui grinned mischievously. "I know just the thing!" She rushed off, leaving Elaine alone in her room. Minutes later, she was back with a huge roll of paper and a couple of pointed pencils. "Sketching party!"_

"_Ohh, no!" Elaine laughed lightly, "I don't have an artistic bone in my body."_

"_So what? I'm the Super College Level Artist, not you. You're not expected to be multi-talented."_

_Unwilling to argue, Elaine took the roll of paper and began helping Asui spread it on the common room floor. "Karah would love this," She murmured, "She really respects you, you know. She always wanted to be an artist."_

_Asui blinked. _Really? Because she hasn't talked to me too much. _"I'd enjoy getting to know her better." She lied. _Too bad everyone's going to be dead after the School Life of Mutual Killing is over.

_Elaine lay on her stomach, took a graphite pencil, and began to sketch. _

_Asui sat back, sipping her beer. It was bitter compared to champagne, but unique. She began to sort through Elaine's DVDs, deciding they might as well watch a movie while they're here. She had a lot of dopey, animated flicks. Asui picked out one with cuddly bunnies on the cover. _Watership Down, _it was called. After popping it in, she looked to Elaine. "What are you drawing?" _

"_Umm…us, I guess! And our classmates." Elaine said happily, "I can't think of what else to draw. This is going to look really bad, by the way."_

"_I'm sure it'll be fine." Asui said, "And we can color it when you're done. I have all sorts of materials…paint, colored pencils, pastels…it's your call."_

"_Pastels! I love pastels." Elaine's eyes shone with joy. She let out a long sigh. "This is more fun than observing people."_

"_You only think it's fun because you don't do it for a living." Asui said dryly. _

_Nonetheless, she joined Elaine and began sketching as well, putting her doodles to shame. While Elaine scrawled goofy portraits of each of their classmates, Asui drew a realistic portrait of Monobear, making him look much fiercer than he was. When she finished with that, she just sketched a number of designs, weaving in skulls and flowers. As she did so, she listened to the rabbits on the TV screen converse._

"_Where are you going?"_

"_Away, to the hills."_

"_By yourself, alone? You'll die!"_

"_You're closer to death than I am."_

_An hour passed. Asui, who was half-watching the movie, soon discovered it was probably the worst kids' movie ever. There was a great deal of disturbing imagery and the "cuddly bunnies" were having their blood spattered everywhere. It was better than she had expected._

Soon. _Asui thought, casually swirling her drink. There was only a trace amount of beer left in the bottle. She had drunk it slowly so that it had very little effect on her. Though she did feel a little bit more relaxed than usual…but that was a good thing, at this point._

_She almost didn't notice Elaine observing her with a psychologist's eye. "Asui," She spoke quietly, "You're enjoying the movie."_

_Asui blinked back to reality. "Yes, I suppose so. I assume you like it if it was in your DVD collection."_

"_My parents bought it because I like bunnies, but it's a little too gory for me." Elaine responded, avoiding looking at the TV. "…Hey, Asui, are you…okay?"_

_Asui hid her surprise. She thought Elaine was going to ask her if she believed in the School Life of Mutual Killing. This would have been her second guess. "I'm fine," She lied, "Let me see what you've drawn."_

_Elaine studied her for a moment, unresponsive. "If you have anything you need to share, you can always come talk to me." She said, sounding almost motherly, "I'd like to get to know you more. Karah, too."_

_Asui held back a derisive laugh. "That sounds great." She said, tilting her head and smiling. "Now can I please see what you've drawn?" _

_Bottle in hand, Asui rose up and paced around to stand at Elaine's shoulder. Smiling fondly, Elaine pointed to each doodle she had made. "There's you and there's me. I-I'm sorry if you think it looks bad, I'm really not that talented…!"_

"_You don't seem to have a very good self-image." Asui said, bending down and pointing to Elaine's self-portrait. "You're not that fat."_

_Elaine's cheeks burned. She had nothing to say to that._

"_Hmph. Well, I know how it feels so I don't blame you for it." Asui stood back up, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Hey, but y'know…I think this picture is missing something."_

_Elaine's eyes widened and she scanned the page. "What?" She wondered innocently._

_Summoning all of the strength in her body, Asui brought the bottle forward, smashing it into the back of Elaine's head. The sound of shattering glass filled the air and Elaine pitched forward, collapsing onto the white canvas. It was over in a second._

_Asui stood there, watching the blood stain the work of art they had created together. It moved slowly, pooling around Elaine's head. Her eyes were open, filled with shock. She did not appear to be breathing. It had been a direct hit. _

_A wry smile unfolded on Asui's lips. She looked at the TV, which was still playing. "Aww…I guess I'm going to have to miss the climax." She said lightly. "Elaine, do you mind if I turn it off?"_

_No response. She was really dead._

_Power flooded through Asui's veins. What a rush! It was almost too easy. Even easier than taking tests on math and other subjects she would never use again. Who would have thought? But now was not the time to celebrate. She had to move the crime scene. She was already plotting to move it before she even committed the murder. Placing the crime scene somewhere else would make the crime seem more ambiguous. And it would make it easier to frame a certain someone._

_Asui had already pickpocketed Blake's ID off of him at the party. Again, it was far too simple. He was completely smashed and thought she was trying to fondle his butt or something. He had just laughed while she smiled and tucked the ID card into a pocket on her cargo pants. It was large and bulged out the top, but no one had noticed. And if Elaine had…well, not like she could tell anyone now, right?_

_Locking the door behind her, Asui hurried off to get a trolley from downstairs. They had been provided to haul luggage on move-in day. How far away that day seemed…she wondered what her parents would say if they knew what she did to graduate. Honestly, she didn't care too much. _

_Asui hurried down to the first floor. She had to be fast. Hopefully, the trolleys would be at the bottom of the steps, as they were yesterday._

_Thankfully, they were. She snatched a green one and began to push it along. She turned the corner, taking quick steps towards the elevator._

_Then she froze. Here came Carter, meandering down the corridor towards her. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest at the sight of him. Why was he roaming the halls so late? Asui shook off her fear and drew from the power she felt after killing Elaine. She straightened up and walked past Carter, giving him a casual nod._

"_Hey Asui." He greeted politely._

_She wished she had something to kill him with. But she had left the beer bottle back in her room, and it was shattered anyways. Oh, no, no, no. This could ruin everything_.

_Biting back her frustration, Asui rode the elevator up to the second floor with it. She contemplated hunting down Carter and killing him, but he was probably already safe in his room. She wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all. _

_Then she had an idea. She stopped by her room, dragging the trolley in with her. She filled it with art supplies. If she passed anyone on the way down to the basement, her chosen crime scene, she would just say something about how she needed more space for her stuff. And if they smelled the blood, she could pretend she spilled some paint. Yes, it was a long shot. But she was an expert liar and there was nothing else she could do._

_She was just about to head out when she heard a door slam. Someone had come upstairs. They were giggling. She waited to see if they would pass by her room, but they didn't. That could only mean one thing: it was Karah._

_Everything was going wrong._

_With no other options, Asui grabbed a large scalpel and inched out of the room. The door creaked slightly and she flinched, but Karah did not look up from fumbling with her keys. She was obviously drunk._

_As soon as she opened the door, Asui moved from her hiding place. She flew down the hall, as silent and deadly as a big cat. The scalpel flashed in her hand._

_Karah stepped into the room. There was an intake of breath. Adrenaline flooded through Asui's body in the same instant._

_Then the scalpel was cutting into Karah's skin, silencing her scream. A gurgle died in her throat. A crazed laugh nearly escaped Asui's lips. Another easy kill! Who knew it was so simple to take a human life? _

_But as Karah's body fell limp in her hands, she realized that this had just gotten twice as hard. At a loss, she lowered Karah onto the white paper so that she could bleed out there. Two roommates dead. Two people that wanted to get to know her…if they had, they wouldn't have liked what they found._

_A new idea dawned on Asui. Instead of going to the trouble of setting up the fake crime scene, she could keep it confined here and make it look like they killed one another. Asui pulled out the scalpel and began cutting holes into Elaine's body, to make it look like the two had fought. They would think Elaine killed Karah first, and then bled out due to multiple wounds._

_Asui turned to go, nearly forgetting about a crucial piece of evidence: the paper. That was a dead giveaway that the Super College Level Artist had been here last night. She had practically put her signature on the crime scene. _

_With an annoyed grunt, Asui worked the paper out from under the two bodies. It was completely soaked with blood, but the thick material had not allowed it to bleed through to the carpet. She rolled it up, wondering what to do with it._

_Just throwing it in a random trashcan would be stupid. She couldn't think of anywhere to burn it. She had to think of somewhere no one would ever look…_

_It clicked in her head instantly. Hurriedly, Asui jammed the scalpel into her pocket with the ID card, hid the bloody paper in the trolley, and escaped the crime scene. But not before propping Karah against the wall and leaving Elaine's body curled on the ground. _

_It was time-consuming work, returning the art supplies to her room and putting the trolley back on the first floor. But she was full of energy. After returning everything to its place, Asui went into the basement and located the janitor's closet. Inside were the tools she was looking for. She rushed to grab a screwdriver and left before someone could come by, on their way to the lounge or vending machines. _

_She couldn't have been more thankful that she didn't run into anyone else that night. Hopefully, Carter would think nothing of the encounter. If he did…she would lie her way through it.  
_

_Frowning, Asui retrieved the bloodied paper from her room and brought it to the bathroom. Ugh. Why did it smell like wet dog in here? Whatever it was, it was probably Libra's fault. _

_Asui proceeded to use the screwdriver to pry open the shower drain. Then she rolled up the blood-soaked paper and stuffed it inside. It was a perfect fit. She stuck it down low, as far as she could reach. Then she checked to make sure she hadn't dripped it anywhere on her way over, but there were only a few red drops inside the shower, and she easily washed those away. Then she replaced the drain. _

_Perfect. Was there anything left to do?_

…_Ah. She needed an alibi. Well, that would be an easy one._

_She went back to the party. No one even seemed to notice she had been gone. She jumped right in and pretended that she had drunk a little bit too much. She saw Libra angling the camera her way during a loud conversation with Noah and refrained from sneering at her. She would be dead soon enough, anyways. _

_At 4 AM, everyone finally headed out. Asui left without a backwards glance, feeling triumphant. Then she remembered that she was supposed to be incapacitated. She waited outside while everyone came filing out, corralled by Libra. Teresa staggered by, her eyes glazed._

_Asui smirked. "Hello."_

_Teresa turned to look at her former best friend. A huge grin stretched across her face. Without a word, she reached forward and patted Asui's head. Then Charlie came over and grabbed her by the arm, tugging her away._

_What a strange exchange. Asui let loose a stream of nonsensical giggling; trying to play it off like it was nothing. But she still didn't trust Teresa, even when she was drunk. She was probably laughing about her, making nasty comments to Charlie as they walked on ahead. _

_Libra brought up the caboose, looking disheveled. She was yelling for order, as if they were actors in a film of hers. Gustav was running around like a madman, everywhere at once. He slung his arm around one of Libra's shoulders and hung there, an impressive feat considering she was taller than him. Noah got on her other side with his usual easy smile and hung off her as well. He muttered something about her chilling out and the two began to drag her along with them._

"_Let go of me!" Libra demanded shrilly. "Watch the camera!" She held it up, attempting to save it from crashing to the ground._

"_Oh, Libra, you're so drunk! Don't worry, we'll take you home!" Gustav laughed, completely red in the face._

_Libra noticed Asui looking her direction. "Asui, help me!" She begged desperately, straining to escape the grip of the boys._

_Asui nearly refused, but she knew she shouldn't act like herself under the influence. "Okay guys, fun's over. It's time to go home and go to bed." She helped Libra get them off, nearly keeling over as Gustav threw his bodyweight onto hers. Ouch._

_But that wasn't the last of their troubles. Outside, Charlie set upon a young tree and began strangling it by the trunk. He shook it so viciously the branches swayed. _

"_What do you think you're doing?!" Noah cried out, latching onto Charlie's arm and pulling him away._

"_That tree looked at me funny." Charlie said in a tough voice, glaring at the poor tree._

_Noah wound up for a punch, but then Libra was restraining him, yelping, "Stop it! No fighting!"_

_Once again, Asui was there to help pry the drunkards apart. She showed Noah the tree was okay and he instantly calmed down. _

"_Thanks for that, Asui," Libra sighed, trying to adjust her pigtails. Then she gave her a genuine smile. For the briefest moment, Asui wondered if she had misjudged her roommate. But then the smile turned back into a scowl and she scoffed, "I can't believe I have to babysit these freaks! Seriously, this is so gay."_

_Asui's chest clenched with rage. _Bigot! _She nearly snarled, _I should have killed you instead of Elaine!

_Instead, she just smiled extra pretty for the camera and laughed._

_Soon, she kept telling herself…_

_Soon. _

* * *

The story ended. A hush had descended over the courtroom. All were looking at Asui, waiting for her to say something. Her head was bowed and her bangs shielded her face from view. But her hands were clenching the railing before her, her knuckles turning white…

Gustav fidgeted uncomfortably in the silence. "Asui—" He began.

"You shut the hell up!" She snapped, looking up fiercely, "God, you're all so annoying! I'm sick of it!"

Teresa felt the need to say something. Calmly, she stated, "It would seem you have nothing to say in your defense. And considering this has sealed up all of the loose ends..."

Asui purposely ignored Teresa, refusing to acknowledge her former friend.

Libra spoke up. "I'm amazed you managed to lie your way through everything. I bet your name isn't even Asui, is it?"

"As a matter of fact, it _is_." Asui hissed, looking directly at Libra, "And you'd better watch your attitude. That kind of behavior will get you killed, eventually. Too bad I won't be around to see it." Her eyes glittered dangerously and Libra shrunk away.

"So you admit you did it." Kirby said sullenly. She opened her Bible to a marked page and traced a verse with her finger. She whispered, "'for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.'"

Asui scowled. "My only regret…" She said slowly, straining to keep her voice steady, "Is that I didn't wait longer. I was too quick to jump at the opportunity."

"Karah and Elaine were kind people." Reeta said tearfully, "Don't speak of them as if they were nothing! They had families, friends, and bright futures! They had a life and you so _willingly _ripped that away from both of them."

But Asui was without remorse for her victims. "Don't you act so high and mighty. Pretty soon, you'll _all _be chomping at the bit to kill someone. Here, there are no restraints…no authorities…you'll come to realize that eventually."

"That's right!" Monobear said cheerfully, "It's _Lord of the Flies _time, now! And it's also voting time…so if you would be so kind as to place your vote on the switch in front of you."

"We already know who did it…" Grant mumbled, casting his vote.

Asui shot him a sideways glance. "Are you sure about that?"

He swallowed nervously and didn't reply.

When all the votes were in, the TV screen lit up, containing the image of a large, colorful wheel. It was divided into sixteen equal slices. Each one had a student's face on it. An arrow appeared and began spinning as the wheel lit up in all different colors.

"Round and round she goes!" Monobear laughed, clapping his paws, "Where she stops…well, I guess we already know, don't we?"

Sure enough, the arrow began to slow. Each picture lit up bright yellow as it passed over. Finally, it came to rest on Asui's. Bright red letters appeared, spelling out, GUILTY. Confetti showered down from above and Monobear began jumping all around, cheering.

"You got it! You got it!"

"Monobear."

Much to everyone's surprise, Asui had spoken. Her expression was blank, though her eyes contained her defeat. She closed them and took a deep breath.

"Can I make one last request?"

Monobear stopped dancing and faced her. "If this is about your execution—"

"It's not." She interrupted, "It's about what follows. I want you to take the paper out of the shower drain and put my final masterpiece on display."

"_Masterpiece_?" Robin hissed, narrowing his eyes.

Asui smiled, but it was an empty smile. Her face no longer flickered with rage or grief. Not even the light of insanity sparked in her eyes, but that made it all the more disturbing.

Monobear thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Sure thing. And I have the perfect place to put it! Upupu!"

Asui suddenly slouched and emotion returned to her face. She seemed absolutely devastated. "Okay. I'm ready to go." She sighed deeply.

Monobear's red eye flashed and his grin stretched just a little wider. "Are you sure you're not ready to…_Gogh_?"

Asui opened her mouth to ask what the heck he meant, but then something cold closed around her throat and jerked her back. She hit the floor, hard. The screams of the others filled her ears, but then they were falling away, out of sight, as she was pulled roughly along the ground.

She gasped for air. The pain was excruciating. She could feel her spine scraping concrete, peeling away skin. Her vision went dark as she was yanked into some sort of tunnel. Before her eyes could even adjust, she was pulled upright. The back of her head collided with what she thought was a wall.

For a moment, she blacked out. Every part of her body throbbed with pain. Cold bit into her wrists and ankles. But fear of the unknown gave her the strength she needed to open her eyes. She blinked hard, trying to focus on her surroundings.

Cold, metal clasps held her arms and legs in place, along with the one at her throat. She was pinned upright, spread-eagled, against a stark white wall.

No…it was a giant easel.

Her head whipped up, alarm coursing through her.

Before her, the other students stood in a line behind a protective barrier. Their pale faces wavered in the gloom. Her face instinctively hardened into a glare. Her heart thundered against her chest, as if trying to escape the peril. She strained against her bonds. But it was no use.

Suddenly, a spotlight came on. The faces of her peers were lost among the shadows. Asui squinted against the bright light, still fighting to free her arms and legs.

She had thought the method of execution would be simple. Now she realized Monobear had prepared something so much more elaborate…

_**Monobear Execution #1: Time to Van Gogh**_

Something that sounded like a cannon fired. Warm, wet fluids splattered Asui's skin, soaking her shirt. In the harsh lighting, she realized it was red. It was _blood_.

She thrashed desperately to escape, letting out a hopeless cry. Another cannon fired. This time, the blood spattered her face. As soon as she tasted it, she realized it wasn't blood. It was paint.

Asui forced herself to calm down. Paint was harmless. But this particular paint smelled awful. It clogged her lungs and seemed to suffocate every pore in her body. Her chest heaved as she fought for breath, coughing out a mouthful of the horrid stuff.

Monobear fired a few more rounds—mixing in other colors such as blue and yellow. They all began to run together. They blended with the spots on Asui's vision, becoming a swirling, disorienting mass. She tore her eyes away from it and lifted her head, struggling to make out a familiar face past the spotlight. She forced a high-pitched laugh.

"Is this all you've—"

The sound of another cannon cut her off.

This one was followed by a burning sensation on her torso.

Asui screamed, convinced she was on fire. Steam rose up all around her and the sound of sizzling filled the air. This was not paint or even fire…this was far, far worse.

Acid disintegrated Asui's clothes and went straight to her skin. She could feel wounds opening up on her body as it easily burned through and reached the flesh underneath. With each agonizing second that passed, tissue was being destroyed. Right down to the bone. Her flesh was transforming into a thick, dark sludge that dripped down her legs and pooled into a sizzling puddle at the base of the easel.

She threw back her head, shrieking until she could no longer recognize the sound of her own voice. All she heard was the cries of a tortured animal. The sound of the next cannon did not reach her ears.

The acid landed a direct hit on Asui's face this time. She was blinded in an instant. The fragile tissue in her sensitive eyes and ears were no match for the acid. Pure agony blazed through them, nearly causing her to have a seizure.

The pain was too much to bear. Asui could no longer remain conscious. Her screams cut off abruptly and she slumped in her bonds. The acid continued to burn her, transforming her until she was no longer recognizable.

The other students were forced to watch until the acid had stopped bubbling.

Natalie and Gustav were both on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Blake had taken Reeta in his arms to comfort her, but he was unable to tear his eyes away from the scene before him. Libra's camera lay discarded on the floor as she crouched in a corner, shaking. Robin couldn't even feel thankful at this point—he couldn't feel anything. He could only watch.

Teresa, as well. She wanted Asui to pay for what she had done. For the longest time, that's all she wanted.

But not like this. Never like this. This was not the sort of punishment any criminal in the real world had to face. It was inhumane.

Finally, the execution drew to an end. The Asui they knew had ceased to exist. All that remained was a smoldering heap of bones.

The students were herded back into the courtroom on shaky legs. The double doors were open, beckoning them towards the elevator… and freedom.

But there was no sense of relief. They could only feel horror at what they just witnessed. Monobear appeared to break the silence.

"Don't forget!" He said cheerfully, as if nothing happened, "Tomorrow's Monday!"

Alistair appeared to be the only one that heard him. He glared at the little bear and muttered, "So?"

"So you have to show up for your classes!" Monobear said, as if it were plainly obvious. "You can find your schedules back in your rooms. I slipped them under your doors."

"Classes?!" Reeta said shrilly, "Even after all of this, you expect us to attend class?!"

Monobear laughed, "It's what you paid for, isn't it? Besides, bad kiddies who play hooky are punished. You've seen what I'm capable of. Make sure you're there!" With another chuckle, he disappeared from the courtroom.

The teenagers barely noticed—they were still in shock. Many had tears streaming down their faces. Without speaking, they all made their way to the elevator. Not even Kirby offered a helping hand to comfort her friends. She just kept shaking her head and sobbing silently.

Reeta felt determination blaze through her as the elevator began to ascend. White hot rage burned in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to wring Monobear's filthy little neck. But she knew that was impossible. She couldn't stop Monobear from his course of action—but she could still bring words of hope to her classmates.

"Today sucked!" She declared loudly, her voice ringing off the barren walls. "But whatever! Let's just make tomorrow better!"

Everyone looked at her with dull eyes, saying nothing. The elevator rattled to a halt and the doors opened. One by one, everyone left Reeta standing there.

Alistair was one of the last ones to leave. Before stepping out, he looked over his shoulder at her. Even he was stricken by the manner of Asui's death, his eyes betraying all sorts of emotion. "Don't you see?" He said softly, "It's all hopeless." He turned to leave.

Reeta followed him out, grabbing his arm to stop him. "No." She said firmly, offering him a smile, "It isn't."

With those final words, she pushed past him and rushed off. No matter what Monobear had planned for tomorrow, she would face it with a smile.

**Thus ends Case 1! I might have actually made it too complicated with all that evidence. O_o At least the culprit's name wasn't on the wall. So I'm proud of it. Anyways, I would like to thank all of my college experiences that contributed to this arc. I had a drunken friend that tried to strangle a tree. We also lived in a dorm with a leaky shower drain that brought despair to the boys living below us. Incorporating this stuff into the story was a blast. :) I wonder what inspiration next semester will bring? Now for obituaries!**

**Elaine: Out of these three, I think Elaine was my favorite. Of course I love every character, but her personality and the fascinating subject of psychology were a fun combination to write about. Sorry she had to go so early! I still hope you enjoyed her for the screen time she had. I felt super sad when I reread her death. She was so sweet!**

**Karah: Karah was cool and unique. I know I didn't work the whole "linguist" thing in well, but her background was more separate from it and I like that. People shouldn't be defined by their careers. Again, I'm sorry she died early but I wanted the first arc to be rather shocking. I hope you were shocked!**

**Asui: I was on the fence about accepting Asui, but she wound up working her way into the story because she made a perfect first culprit. Her personality was a big mix of things so a lot of aspects didn't come shining through (such as how she acts around friends), and I actually changed her secret from killing her best friend to stabbing her best friend's eye out. Sorry about that, but I couldn't pass by the opportunity to connect her and Teresa in order to dramatize this first case even more.**

**Now to end with the poll results. Who was the first culprit?! I'm happy to say you guys (kinda) got it right, so you get to survive this round! ^_^**

**1st Asui and Kirby with 4 votes**

**2nd Alistair, Libra, and Natalie with 3 votes**

**3rd Noah and Carter with 2 votes**

**4th Blake, Gustav, Charlie, and Grant with 1 vote**

**Everyone else with 0 votes. Keep an eye out for future polls!  
**


	11. Welcome to The Dum Zone

**Time to start incorporating flashbacks into the chapters more! While some characters are personality-driven, others have had some interesting stuff happen in the past that would add to their development. In my Hunger Games SYOT, it was incredibly easy to do an info dump at the Reapings. Unfortunately, I can't do that here. I'll have to spread this kinda stuff out in this story since we want to keep the plot going while getting to know about the characters at the same time.**

**You should know this might be the last update for a while since I'm going back to school next week. Plus I won't have my sister around to bounce ideas off of and my second case is just not good enough yet. :( Sorry. I need to focus on other things anyways, and finishing my Hunger Games story should be my first priority when it comes to Fanfiction.  
**

It was already dark when the students arrived back at their dorms. Gray clouds were beginning to swarm across the sky, blotting out the stars above. The approaching cold front had replaced summer's heat with a tingling chill. It was going to be a cold night.

Dinner was waiting for everyone at the Commons, but most of the teenagers were too upset to feel hungry. They retreated to their quarters and stayed there the rest of the night. Noah and Charlie were one of the few people to go the buffet, but their food was eaten in silence. When they arrived back at their room, they found the schedules Monobear had mentioned.

Noah snatched his up, scanning it with suspicious green eyes. "These aren't even real classes."

Charlie hesitated to pick his up. He had half a mind to skip class tomorrow, but the consequences outweighed the gains. So he gave into curiosity and took a look at his schedule too.

It was surprisingly bare. A freshman schedule should have had at least five classes on it. This one only contained three: Monobear Lecture, Team-Building Activities, and Independent Study. Team-Building was on Tuesdays and Thursdays while the other two classes were on the other three weekdays.

"I scheduled out my classes months before coming here! This isn't even remotely close to the classes I wanted to take." Noah complained, checking the backside of the paper, as if he expected to find the real schedule.

"I should think not." Charlie replied dully. "So when do you have lecture?"

Noah responded, "In the morning."

"I have it in the afternoon. At least we have Team-Building together."

Silence passed between the two. Suddenly, Charlie balled up his schedule in his fist and chucked it at the wall. Noah gave a small protest, looking around nervously for any sign of a security camera.

Charlie ignored him, growling, "We gotta get the hell outta here. Before we all end up like that Aussie chick."

"Asui," Noah corrected. A shudder passed down his spine as the memory of her demise tried to reestablish itself. But he forced it away and whispered, "Don't let Monobear hear you—"

"To hell with that gently caressin' bear!" Charlie said, flipping off no one in particular. He rounded on Noah, fire burning in his eyes. "I'm too valuable to the world to be killed. I'm getting out of here if it's the last thing I do! Now are you with me or not?"

"Of course!" Noah replied instantly, lifting his nose, "I'm valuable too; I'm a humanitarian! Do you have any idea what it's like to save a life?"

Charlie waved a hand, growling, "Yeah, yeah, that's besides the point. We're not saving polar bear hides—we're saving _our _hides. And we're some of the most important people this country has ever seen. I'll be damned if Monobear thinks he can keep us here till we're all dead and buried!"

* * *

It was nearly midnight.

Grant was lying in his bed with the window open. The stuffy room now felt nice and cool. Peaceful sounds of the night filtered in: crickets chirping, trees swaying in the breeze, rain lightly tapping the panes…but none of it could help him in his quest for sleep. Whenever he closed his eyes, his vision was splashed with red. Asui's death was tattooed into his brain.

With a frustrated sigh, Grant wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. He just wanted to escape this place. His chest felt tight. He had investigated Karah and Elaine's deaths because it was his job, but he hadn't had time to absorb everything until now.

_Where are the upperclassmen? _The thought sent fear quaking through him. They should have been moving in over the weekend. But not a soul showed up. No teachers, either. _Did Monobear…kill them all?_

He tried to let his mind drift away from these bad thoughts. He pictured himself in a hospital bed, flipping through channels, bored out of his mind. A pretty girl came walking in with a pile of books in her arms. She slapped them down on the bed, causing Grant to flinch.

"_Whoa, watch the knee, Az! It's bad enough I have nine whole months of Dora the Explorer and Spanish Soap Operas ahead of me. I don't need an extension on that." Grimacing, he turned off the TV and tossed aside the remote. _

_Azalea snorted, "Nine months! It's like you're pregnant."_

"_Are pregnant women not allowed to walk around?" Grant retorted, fiddling with his silver necklace, "And if you factor in all the therapy that's gonna follow, I think I'd much rather be pregnant than have a torn ACL. Missing all these lacrosse games is killing me slowly."_

_As soon as he said it, he wished he could have taken it back. Grief caused his throat to swell. He tried to swallow it away and smile as if he had just told a very funny joke. Azalea seemed to be able to read his mind anyways. She slowly took a seat on the bed and asked in a soft voice, "How's your mother, by the way?"_

_Grant's smile faltered. "Same old, same old. On the upside, we get to visit all the time. On the downside, I can't take care of her garden for her. I doubt those lazy brothers of mine have been watering it." The thought of his mother's garden wilting freshened Grant's sorrow and he quickly changed the subject. "So what have you got for me today?"_

_Azalea perked up and began sorting through the books. "Some classics. _And Then There Were None…The Maltese Falcon…Sherlock Holmes."

"_Sweet." Grant grinned, accepting the mystery novels graciously. _

"_And you can pretend that every victim is the bastard who slammed into you at your last lacrosse game." Azalea said quite bluntly._

_Grant laughed. "What about the culprits? They're usually more despicable than the victims."_

_Azalea shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy, I guess!" She got up and started towards the door._

"_Going so soon?" Grant asked, his heart falling in his chest. Visitors always helped the time go by faster. And Azalea had to be his favorite visitor of all._

_She offered him a hasty smile. "Yeah, sorry! Promised I'd meet my friends for lunch. Bye Grant!"_

_He tried to wave goodbye without appearing too dejected. As soon as Azalea was gone, he flipped open a book and began reading. There was nothing quite like immersing yourself in a book—especially a murder mystery novel._

These memories did nothing for Grant's mood. If anything, they only brought more pain. His mother was gone…and he might never see Azalea ever again. They had become so much more than friends over the years and he missed her terribly. But he could still draw wisdom from the words she had spoken.

He tried to put Asui's face onto the lacrosse player who had put him out of commission. He tried to pretend she had destroyed his dreams as a young teenager—granted, he had moved onto better things, but he was still somewhat resentful.

But it was tougher on him than usual. Asui wasn't just another fictional character in a novel. She was real…or had been real, anyways. And that made it all the more difficult.

* * *

Grant stumbled into breakfast, late as usual. He had slept right through his alarm after staying up for hours. Luckily, he still woke up in time for class. He had just enough time to throw on his usual attire and race to the Dining Commons. Dark circles were prominent under his eyes—he thought he could spot them on a few other faces as he walked in.

"Grant," Reeta called from her table. She was sitting with a large group that consisted of Blake, Gustav, Noah, and Kirby. Robin was sitting a few tables away, drinking coffee, while Carter and Natalie were dumping their trays. They said goodbye to Kirby and left.

Grant quickly filled a tray with food and went to sit next to Reeta. "Hey. What's up?"

"You have Monobear Lecture this morning too, don't you?" She guessed.

Grant nodded.

"I knew it." Reeta said, turning to Blake on her other side. "Monobear's gone and separated all the roommates! What a shame. I guess that makes you my only gal pal." She reached across the table to poke Kirby, the only other girl in the group.

She smiled awkwardly. "Um, okay!"

"Oh, and another thing!" Reeta snapped her fingers. "Monobear showed up and said he opened some new places on campus today. But the other class is gonna check it out since we're stuck in lecture."

Grant's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Oh, cool!" He looked to where Robin was, "Are you going with them?"

Robin was too tired to feign enthusiasm. "Yes. We won't be leaving until everyone's awake. Apparently Charlie has yet to come out of his room."

_I know what he's doing. _Noah thought smugly, but he bit his tongue. He didn't want to give away the fact he and Charlie were trying to think up some escape plan. The others might wind up blabbing to Monobear. And they were trying to keep it very secretive, only brainstorming ideas in places they knew Monobear wouldn't have a camera.

Robin got up to leave. "Later, buddy!" Blake called after him, waving. He looked to his friends at the table. "Hey, Gustav, what's wrong?"

Gustav had been acting strange all morning. Actually, it was more than acting. He had completely changed his appearance. Reeta had actually thought he was a different person and asked for his name when he walked into the cafeteria.

He was dressed in all black. His long bangs hung in his face as he laid it flat on the table. All of his clown make-up had been washed away. In its place, he had smeared an excessive amount of eyeliner. Along with the make-up, his cheer and exuberance had vanished as well.

"Are we just gonna pretend all that stuff from yesterday didn't happen?" He said in a dismal voice. He didn't bother looking up to address the others directly.

Kirby was the one to respond. "Of course not," She said quietly, "I don't think we'll forget it anytime soon…but…but we mustn't dwell on these things."

Gustav let out a long sigh, his head flopping to the side. "I don't want to live on this planet anymore."

"Who doesn't, with all of the natural resources that have been used up?" Noah said, trying to smile at Gustav, "But you've just gotta keep _going_. Like Kirby said. Right?"

Gustav lifted his head and looked tearfully at Noah. "I thought you and Asui were closer than anyone?" He wondered.

Noah hesitated, scratching his curly head of hair in consideration. "Yeah…she was a pretty cool chick." He decided after a moment, "I had a lot in common with her. But she was a psycho too. I could never get behind her cause."

Kirby couldn't help but jump into the conversation. "Do you think anyone will kill after this?"

"Yes." Gustav answered simply, allowing his head to drop back down to its prior position. He whimpered in defeat as his forehead collided with the table harder than he expected.

"No way!" Reeta said with gusto, "Asui was like, disturbed or something! We're all _normal_. Well, sort of...in our own special ways. I don't think Monobear will be able to do anything to us!"

"Yeah!" Blake decided, slapping Reeta on the back. "This chick knows what's up!"

She giggled, glad to have someone sharing in her optimism. But everyone else was looking highly doubtful. Somehow they knew Monobear wouldn't let them get away with living peacefully in the confines of the school.

* * *

"So did Monobear clean up your room? When I got back last night, the stain was painted over." Robin said, making chitchat as their class loitered outside the dorms.

Libra hesitated, regarding everything that had happened. "Yeah. Last night he came to fix the drain and lock up Asui's room, all with those little paws of his. I don't know how he functions the way he does."

"Ah…"

"At least I get a bathroom to myself from now on."

Robin gave her a withering glance.

"Just trying to look on the bright side." Libra mumbled, then quickly changed the subject, "So who are we waiting on?"

"Charlie." Alistair answered. Just as he spoke his name, Charlie came striding out of the dorms. "Finally. Are we all here?"

"Looks like it. Let's go." Carter confirmed. He couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of exploring new places. He swept his gaze around, observing each one of his companions. The group was made up of Libra, Robin, Charlie, Teresa, Alistair, Natalie, and himself. Theirs was slightly bigger than the other class.

The seven of them began to walk down the sidewalk, prepared to explore campus. Before they could get very far, a bush rustled and out popped Monobear.

"I wasn't stalking you, I swear!" He gasped playfully, tucking a pair of binoculars behind his pudgy body.

Everyone halted.

"…Shouldn't you be teaching a class right now?" Teresa asked critically.

Monobear looked down at his feet, shuffling them sheepishly. "It starts in five minutes."

"You'd better get going then." Robin said, checking his watch.

"Hey! Are you trying to get rid of me?" Monobear fumed, hopping up and down angrily, "I came to see you because I thought you might like to know which buildings have opened up! Besides, the number one rule in college is that you have to wait ten minutes for the professor to show up before ditching. I have fifteen minutes to get over to the Law Building!"

"Law Building?" Teresa echoed. That was the building they had been in yesterday, for the trial.

Monobear nodded. "That's right. It's the Law/Business Building where Monobear Lecture is held. It'll be unlocked from now on, as will the Rec Building and the Science/Engineering Building! We have an unfinished building that was going to be the new Engineering Building, but unfortunately our construction crew was unable to finish it due to despairing circumstances."

Natalie shivered, wishing Monobear would leave already. "Is that all?"

"Is that all?! There are plenty of places to explore in those three buildings! I'll leave you freaks to it." Monobear turned and flounced off. Seeing his little body moving in the distance made the seven college students feel strangely uncomfortable.

"Let's save the Law Building for last." Libra suggested, "So we don't have to see Monobear."

"Good idea." Robin answered.

Their first stop was the Rec Building. The large basketball gym was deserted, as expected. Traces of confetti still remained on the floor. As Natalie shuffled by, they stuck to her long skirt. She bent down to brush them off. As she did so, a wave of emotion overcame her. How had everything become so awful, so quickly? Elaine and Karah seemed like such kind people. They weren't judgmental. They didn't deserve to die at the peak of their lives.

_Everyone always said college is supposed to be the best years of our lives. _Natalie thought bitterly, _How ironic.  
_

They moved on, wandering the spacious building. They found racquetball courts, volleyball nets, and multiple workout rooms. All sorts of sports equipment was lying around, from soccer balls to baseball bats. There was a large poster advertising Zumba classes outside one room. Libra eagerly went to check it out. Of course, the classes were taught by Monobear and planned by appointment. She walked away, shaking her head in disgust.

They decided to stop by the Law/Business Building next, since it was closer. Monobear should have been teaching at this point anyways. So they were undisturbed as they explored this new space.

The basement was closed off since the courtroom wasn't in use. On the first floor was a general library, full of books and court records. Robin was pleased to see a small coffee shop as well, but of course it was deserted. Upstairs was an endless hall of classrooms. The hall opened up into a luxurious lounge area with a high ceiling and gigantic windows. The amount of sunlight filtering in lent itself to a cheerful atmosphere. It was the perfect place to study…if they had anything to study.

The last stop on their list was the Science/Engineering Building, which held many wonders. Charlie, of course, was glad to see the portion dedicated to his major. But everyone else was more excited about the science aspect.

A door led to a small greenhouse in the back of the building. Noah would no doubt be pleased to see the assortment of plants here later on. There were all sorts of colorful flowers and vines climbing up the side of the house. Sprinklers sprayed a cool mist over the leafy green fronds. At the center of the greenhouse was a large, bright red flower that loomed over everything else. Its petals gaped wide to reveal sticky yellow insides. Venus flytraps the size of coffins surrounded it, growing out of the stem.

_Monobear Flower. Do not touch! _A sign warned, _This flower is highly carnivorous not to mention it's loaded with poisonous toxins. So be careful, my precious bastards._

"I feel like he purposely put this here so one of us would use it to kill another." Teresa said, standing a good distance away.

Libra shrugged. "Could be a red herring."

They moved on. The next room they stepped into was pitch black and wafted cool air into their faces. Carter fumbled for the light switch and turned it on. But the lights did not come on. Instead, the broad, dome ceiling became alight with a number of twinkling stars. Constellations swirled above their heads, too many to count.

"A planetarium!" Natalie gasped, "Oh, I wish Kirby was here to see this!"

For a minute, the students just marveled at this beauty of a discovery. The walls were thick and soundproof, providing a golden silence. Whenever someone spoke, their voice carried and echoed off the walls. It was like standing in another world.

Unfortunately, they were called to finish exploring. Their last stop was a wing of the building, which had been dedicated to a museum. Stuffed animals and an assortment of paintings and artifacts lined the way. But once they reached a certain exhibit, all of them froze.

_Asui's Masterpiece_, the label read. Above was a large white paper, framed on the wall. The paper was spattered with red-brown blood that had long since dried. Looking past the disturbing color, the students could see Asui and Elaine's drawings: innocent doodles of classmates alongside skulls, flowers, and a portrait of Monobear.

Natalie gave a choked cry and went rushing off before anyone could stop her. "Natalie, wait!" Carter shouted, "We should stick together!" But she was a lot faster than she looked and quickly disappeared. Carter sighed, "I'll get her." and followed at a trot.

No one responded. Their gazes were fixed on the "masterpiece" before them. The very sight of it brought back all of those unpleasant memories, forcing the students to remember the trauma of yesterday.

* * *

_This is worse than math class! _Blake thought, horrified as he was forced to sit through another hour of Monobear lecture. The class was a grueling two hours long. Halfway through, Monobear gave a pop oral quiz. The questions were inexplicably inane, some of them pertaining to the lecture, others just random. The student who was able to answer the most questions correctly got to leave.

Gustav had been lying there with his head on his desk for the entire period. As soon as Monobear announced the quiz, he came to life and answered almost every question. The other students, who had barely paid attention, were in awe. Gustav was dismissed and walked out the door with a smile on his face, looking a little more like his old self.

As for the rest of them, they were rewarded with another hour of Monobear prattling on about _nothing_.

"Who can name a famous bear for me?" Monobear asked suddenly, jolting the students with his question. "Mr. Football Star?"

"Bugs Bunny!" Blake blurted out before giving the question any thought.

A laugh escaped Reeta's lips. She exchanged an amused glance with Kirby, who was seated next to her, then began scribbling furiously on a sheet of paper. The two girls had been passing notes all period.

"Bugs Bunny?!" Monobear raged, "You'd better be joking! Or else I'm going to put you in The Dum Zone with Mr. Scientist!"

"I'm sorry!" Blake apologized quickly, looking over his shoulder at Grant. "It's not my fault, I just didn't have time to think! Please don't hurt me."

After falling asleep in class, Monobear had put a dunce cap on Grant's head and forced him to sit in the corner of the room, facing away from everyone. This shameful spot was labeled 'The Dum Zone.' Grant wasn't about to argue since Monobear had machine guns at his disposal.

"I've got one for you," The bored scientist said from his corner, twisting his red cap in his hands, "Winnie the Pooh."

"Yogi Bear." Kirby offered.

"Fozzie!" Reeta gasped, looking incredibly proud of herself.

"Smokey the Bear."

Monobear looked at Noah, who was slouching in his seat.

"He's a pretty cool dude. Stops forest fires and stuff."

"Are you high?" Monobear asked.

Noah's face crumpled with confusion. "Excuse me?"

"None of you said Monobear!" Monobear wailed, scattering the papers on his desk, "I want to be famous too! When did Winnie the Pooh or Fozzie ever orchestrate a School Life of Mutual Killing? Those guys are nothing!" He bowed his head, looking as if he was going to cry.

No one bothered comforting him. He wasn't worth the effort.

An hour later, the students were relieved from their torture. As they filed out of the classroom, they spotted a few of their peers waiting to go in.

"Hello," Alistair greeted, "How was class?"

Grant gave a loud groan in response.

"…Fascinating." Alistair said sarcastically, adjusting his glasses, "Very descriptive. You have a way with words."

"Hey, man. All I can say is good luck." Grant said, offering Alistair a pat on the back. Then he turned and walked down the hall, dragging his feet. The others followed, barely sparing their roommates a glance. Monobear Lecture had drained all of their energy.

**I promise the next chapter or at least the following one will be more interesting. Hope everyone enjoys what summer they have left (if you're still on vacation, that is)!**


	12. Character Development

**Hoprocker Storytime! In class my teacher posed us an interesting question, asking us what we'd do if we were shooting a documentary and one hobo starting killing another in the background. Would we drop the camera to try and help or would we keep shooting? After a long silence, I told it like it was and said, "Keep shooting." Then everyone else was all like "We'd drop the camera and help," including the teacher. I guess that makes me a terrible person...or a good filmmaker. /shot/  
**

…**Oh yeah. [insert apologies about not updating for a while here] If you're still there, I hope you'll review and let me know. It's been tough to motivate myself to write lately and feedback certainly lifts my spirits. Special thanks to lunarisque for motivating me to keep going in the first place. We were talking about a fun Madoka Magica AU for these characters and came up with some really fun stuff and it made me want to write them again. :P Yay! And as always, thank you to my sister for looking over these chapters before I post them.  
**

Tuesday was Team-Building Activities. The schedule read that these were to be held in the big Football Stadium. Unfortunately, the stadium was still locked, so the class was held on a nearby soccer field instead. The students all wore gym shorts and workout shirts; having been told the activities would be physically strenuous.

Gustav was (thankfully?) back to his old self, running around and spreading the news. "Ally got put in The Dum Zone yesterday! Reeta, did you hear? Ally got put in The Dum Zone!"

Alistair took quick steps after the crazed actor, trying to wrangle him. "You don't need to broadcast it!" He snapped, losing his patience. He had voiced his complaints to Gustav last night and was deeply regretting it.

Reeta looked at him curiously. "What did you do?"

"He back talked the teacher," Gustav said, cutting Alistair off.

Reeta laughed, "It's okay, Alistair, Grant got to wear the dunce cap in our class. Monobear just likes taunting us."

Alistair just sighed and looked away, his pride deeply wounded.

"This is stupid," Charlie growled suddenly, pacing back and forth as he waited with the others for Monobear to show up, "This is a complete waste of my time! We're not learning anything. This doesn't pertain to our SCLs. Why are we doing this?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Libra spoke up, smirking. "Character development."

"Stop treating this like it's one of your B-rate movies." Robin muttered under his breath.

Libra flared up, "Hey! _Garden of Flowers _may have been a flop, but I had nothing to do with it! Watch one of my student films and you'll see what I'm capable of."

Gustav leaped over and smacked one of her pigtails. "It wasn't a flop! How could it be, when _I _had the leading role?"

Libra didn't respond. She was looking past Gustav, eyes wide. Everyone turned to see Monobear waddling across the field. He was wearing an oversized blue baseball cap and a whistle around his neck. His grin seemed to be a little wider than usual.

"Welcome, welcome!" He crowed, "Is everyone here? Excellent! Please stand with your assigned teams."

"What assigned teams?" Kirby asked innocently.

"The people you're in a class with, stupid!"

Kirby flinched as Monobear's harsh words lashed her. But she didn't offer any resistance and went to stand with Reeta, who supplied her with some encouragement.

Blake scanned the other students, counting them in his head. "Wait," He said, "The teams are uneven."

"So murder someone on the opposite team and then they'll be even." Monobear said, his red eye flashing.

Nobody moved. Everyone on the opposite team was suddenly looking very nervous, eyeing Blake's toned arms. He could easily throttle someone if he wished to. But Blake wasn't about to do so, especially not when all of these people were around.

Monobear laughed, "I thought so! Hey, before we start this class, did everyone explore the campus yesterday?"

No one responded for a long moment. Carter decided to speak up. "Yes, we uncovered the new areas during our Independent Studies."

"Oh, good! Now you can dedicate that timeslot to important stuff." Monobear said with a nod, "Everyone should know the dorms are locked during Independent Study. You have to treat it like a class and spend your time wisely. You can either brush up on your favorite SCL or you can plot a murder! I would recommend the latter. It's so much more fun that way." He brought his paws up to his mouth to stifle a giggle.

Teresa stepped forward, hands on her hips. "Better get over it, Monobear. There won't be any more murders taking place at St. Fortuna's. But in the meantime, we'll play your little games until help comes."

Monobear stared at Teresa for a long moment, his toothy grin unwavering. Then he threw back his head and guffawed until his belly shook. "You're so silly! Upupupu…you really think help is coming? The world could care less about you bastards. There are much more important things at hand for them to deal with."

"Important?" Charlie sneered, "You're insane. I'm—I mean, _we're _some of the most important people in this country!"

Monobear stopped laughing and said in a serious tone, "No. You're _not_. You're still kids. Only a few of you are legal. For your entire existence, you've been told you're special and have gotten life handed to you on a silver platter. Well, guess what? It all goes away after this. The reality is, no one cares about you. No one is coming to rescue you. Humans only care about themselves, in the end."

"You're wrong!" Both Kirby and Reeta burst out at the same time. Everyone looked to them in shock.

Kirby flashed an amused smile at Reeta. "Um, pardon me…you can handle this one."

"Thanks." Reeta said, stepping forward to speak for the both of them. She was so angry she was shaking. "Monobear, how dare you assume we've been handed life on a silver platter? How dare you suggest we don't care about each other?! You just can't understand what we're going through because you're a _monster_. I don't know what happened to make you like this, but you should just kill yourself and be done with it instead of dragging others down with you!" The words tumbled out so fast she could barely stop them. But she pressed a hand to her mouth and waited for the bear's response. Kirby, on the other hand, couldn't have looked more horrified at her mistake of letting Reeta speak for the both of them.

But Monobear just shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I am a monster. Now let's play some dodgeball!"

"Whaaat?" Gustav gasped, his jaw dropping. "You're seriously not gonna argue?"

Monobear turned towards him. "I guess I could. But my victory will taste so much sweeter when I let these bastards come to this realization themselves. Eventually, they'll figure out their only option is kill or be killed."

Gustav didn't reply. His face scrunched with childish misery and his lower lip trembled.

Monobear chuckled, "Ahh, I love how your dwindling hope drains the light from your eyes. It is most becoming, Mr. Actor. But enough chitchat!" He whipped out a notecard. "Oh. I thought I had dodgeball planned for today, but I guess not. First we'll be doing a casual icebreaker and then we'll be playing capture the flag!"

"Icebreaker?" Natalie squeaked nervously.

"For you to get to know each other."

"We already _do _know each other." Robin sighed. _More than I'd like._

Monobear ignored him, going on to explain the game. This one was called Stereotype Party, though stereotypes were only a fraction of it. Monobear taped post-it notes to each person's forehead. Everyone but them would be able to see their new label. The point was to guess what your label said just from the actions of others. You couldn't cheat or ask questions. Whichever team finished guessing their labels first would win.

"This is imprudent." Charlie muttered, standing there as his team milled about. Teresa came walking up to him, observing him quietly. Charlie tried to meet her eyes and offer up a flirty smile, but the memory of her scar was still there. He couldn't look at her without picturing it in his mind. Thank God she was keeping the sunglasses on. "Can I help you?"

In one smooth movement, Teresa brought her fist smashing into the side of Charlie's face. He gave a surprised yell and stumbled backwards. "What the hell!" He snapped, grasping his throbbing cheek. "Did Monobear plaster a 'punch me' sign to my forehead or something?!"

Teresa smiled. "Yup! You got it. It says 'punch me, I deserve it.' And after hiding evidence from the court, I would say I have to agree."

Monobear came bouncing over, cheering, "Yay! Mr. Engineer figured it out right away! Good job, Miss Lawyer!"

Charlie could hear someone sniggering. He looked over to see Libra failing to contain her giggles. Her forehead read, 'I'm the next culprit.' Charlie grimaced and said, "Well I'm not going near _you_, that's for certain."

Libra's laughter was cut short and confusion filled her eyes. Charlie walked away smugly, spotting Kirby's note, which claimed she was the next victim. "Hey, you'd better stay away from her!" He called to her, pointing towards Libra.

Kirby looked at Libra, tilting her head. "Oh…am I the next victim?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Way to go, genius!" Teresa said, cuffing Charlie's head, "You just helped out the other team."

"Whoops. My bad."

The other team was actually coming alive. Gustav ("ignore me"), Noah ("laugh at everything I say") and Grant ("interrupt me") got caught in an unfortunate chain reaction. Noah was the first to figure his out when the other two boys laughed at his advice on going green. Grant and Gustav shortly followed. Gustav was only too happy to peel off his sticky note.

"Wow, I hate being ignored!" He said, reading his label, "I never want to go through that again."

"I'm surprised you even managed to figure it out." Noah mumbled, looking to where Blake and Reeta were facing off. "Two left."

Reeta was having a tough time figuring out how to aid Blake. His label was 'Stupid Football Star.' And she honestly had no idea how to go about that. "I'm sorry Blake," She said sadly, "This is really difficult. Umm…future Superbowl MVP right here?" She tried to mimic how he behaved at the party.

Blake laughed, good-naturedly. "Oh, I'm me! Is that it?"

"Err…close enough." Reeta said, biting her lip.

"Okay, now I'll help you." Blake took another look at Reeta's sticky note. Reading it again made warmth rush to his face. He scratched his head nervously and took a deep breath. "D'you wanna go out with me?"

Reeta stared blankly at him. "Am I your girlfriend?"

"Only if you want to be, which I assume you do."

Reeta considered this odd request for a moment. At the start of the game, Kirby had given her an awkward look and moved away quickly. And Gustav had flirted with her, in his own special way. Suddenly, it clicked in her head. "I have a crush on you!" She declared, "I mean, that's what it says, right?"

Before Blake could even confirm it for her, she ripped off the note and read it.

"Bzzt!" Monobear called, "Game over! Team Walking Targets wins! Team Dead Meat loses. Boooo!"

An awkward pause followed Monobear's announcement. Carter's eyebrows shot straight up into his bangs. "Team _what _now?"

"Those are the team names I've assigned you." Monobear said proudly, "Now that we've all gotten to know each other a little bit better, it's time for a wholesome game of capture the flag. Let's get right to it!"

The teams had no choice but to obey and go to their respective sides of the field. On team Walking Targets, Blake was placed as the guard for the flag and the jail. Team Dead Meat could afford to leave two guards behind—Natalie and Alistair. The rest lined up at the center of the field, waiting for Monobear to signal the start of the game.

His shrill whistle pierced the air. As soon as it did, Charlie unexpectedly shot over the line, blowing past both Grant and Kirby.

"Catch him!" Kirby screamed frantically.

Grant's feet pounded over the grass, adrenaline racing through his system. He couldn't help but grin as he sprinted after Charlie, easily gaining ground on him. It felt like it had been ages since he played an organized sport like this. His heart ached for his days of playing lacrosse, but he brushed this aside and focused on catching Charlie. He was nearing the bright yellow flag, standing exposed on open ground.

Charlie reached for the flag. Grant reached to tag him. In that instant, Blake came barreling into the both of them, hollering something about an interception. The three boys crashed painfully to the ground.

"Ack! My spine! I think you broke my spine—get off of me, you numbskulls!" Charlie moaned, struggling to extricate himself from the manly pileup.

"Football players steal all the glory…" Grant grumbled.

Blake easily hopped to his feet, letting out an excited whoop. "All right! Who's next?!"

Charlie rose to his feet, grimacing as he tried to put weight on one foot. He noticed Reeta standing nearby, observing the other team intently. He clutched at his leg, whining, "Ow…that smarts. Reeta, I might need you to come kiss it for me."

Unfortunately, she had already gone running off towards Libra, who was tauntingly putting one foot over the line. Charlie sighed and made his way toward jail on his own.

During the chaos, Robin had slipped over the line and tried to steal the flag as well, but Kirby had come flying towards him, seemingly out of nowhere. "Got you!" She shouted, slapping him lightly on the shoulder.

Robin couldn't help but glare at her for it.

"I'm sorry!" She giggled, her face lit up with energy.

Robin quickly recovered, smiling and waving a hand. "Ahaha, don't be. You're just playing the game by its rules after all."

"Yeah, and it's really fun!" Kirby said happily, escorting him to jail, "It almost makes me wish I wasn't homeschooled."

Robin let out a derisive snort at this. But Kirby remained oblivious to his attitude, leaving him in jail with a smile, announcing that she was now going to attempt to steal his flag. She ran off, grinning from ear to ear.

"Aw, there's nothing like naïve freshmen girls." Charlie laughed, standing with his arms crossed.

"…They're all freshmen." Robin pointed out, narrowing his eyes.

"You know what I mean."

Team Dead Meat's offensive start was not the wisest move. Teresa joined them in jail after being unable to escape the combined forces of Gustav and Reeta. Libra tried to sum up her courage and go in for some sort of noble rescue, but Blake wound up tackling her into the ground as well. Battered and covered in grass stains, she joined them in jail.

"Hey!" She shouted loudly in the direction of Carter, who was hovering at the edge of the line, "Come help us!"

"They're done for." Noah said smugly, "Let's go finish them off." He leapt across the dividing line, tailed by the rest of his teammates.

Carter backed away, uncertain of whom to tag. After making a snap decision, he jumped towards Gustav and attempted to grab him, but the boy slipped out of his fingers like an eel, laughing, "Team Walking Targets will _destroy _you! Myahahaa!"

"No one's coming to help us." Libra gave a frustrated sigh and ceased waving her arms. "It's just like Monobear said. No one cares about anyone but themselves."

Teresa let out a dry laugh. "Okay, so now you're basing your life philosophy on Monobear's words and a game of capture the flag."

"No…" Libra scoffed, looking away shamefully.

Robin was already sitting down, having given up all hope of being rescued. His eyes were slits of contemplation. After a moment of silence, he spoke up. "Now I understand. These petty games are Monobear's attempt to widen the rift between ourselves and our peers, in hopes that a murder will occur."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous. No one's going to commit a murder over something stupid like this."

"I'd like to agree." Robin replied, "But let's not jump to conclusions after what happened over the weekend."

Monobear happened to be standing nearby at this moment. He took his eyes off the game and turned to the students in jail. "Who says I'm using this to try and get you to kill one another? That'd be the worst motive ever! How dare you underestimate my ability to create motives! Just you wait…you haven't seen nothin' yet!" He cocked his head and mused, "Wait, you haven't seen nothin' is a double negative so that's like saying you've seen everything. Why do people say that then?"

Everyone ignored him and turned back to the game.

Natalie had managed to tag Noah and Carter had caught up with Gustav, but Grant had taken off with the flag during the process. Alistair just watched him as he escaped. Natalie couldn't summon the energy to pursue them and just stood there panting.

"Get them…!" She gasped, turning to Alistair.

He arched an eyebrow inquisitively. "Why? The sooner they win, the sooner the game ends. I don't know why we bothered with our sorry efforts in the first place." Alistair pointed towards their jailed teammates, who could only watch as Grant crossed the line with their flag.

"Victory!" He shouted, pumping the air with his fist.

"Aw yeah! Touchdown!" Blake roared, rushing forward with his arms thrown up.

"This isn't football—" Grant growled. Blake just grinned and pounded him on the back, cutting him off midsentence. Their other teammates gathered around, cheering, while Monobear confirmed their victory.

Before class wrapped up, he turned to the losing team. "Better get it together, Dead Meat. Winning may not mean much now, but it'll mean a hell of a lot to you later. Okay? See you in class tomorrow!" The monochrome bear quickly left the scene while everyone else prepared to return to their dorms.

Reeta spotted Kirby, Natalie, and Carter congregating as a group. She was about to join them when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. "Hm?" She turned around to see Blake standing there, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair and grinning.

"Hey! You did awesome." He said warmly.

"Aw, you're too kind!" Reeta gushed, "But there's no way I was as awesome as you."

"Heheh…well, it was a team effort, you know…" Blake trailed off.

For a moment, they stood there quietly as everyone else walked on without them. In a minute, they were the only ones left on the field. Reeta preoccupied herself with shuffling her feet, wondering what Blake was going to say. Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke up.

"That thing I asked you…during the stereotype game. I…I was thinking of asking it for real." He said, looking away nervously. His eyebrows knit with worry as he searched for a better way to express himself.

Reeta blinked innocently. "Huh? What question's that?" She wondered.

"Well, you know, you're really pretty and…and nice. You speak your mind...you don't let Monobear get you down…you're really one of a kind and I'd like to get to know you more." Blake forced himself to look Reeta in the eye. Taking a deep breath and mustering up all his courage, he blurted out, "Basically, I'm trying to ask you out."

A gasp of surprise lodged itself in Reeta's throat. The image of a man flashed through her mind. A handsome man wearing a blue coat to match his eyes and boasting just a little bit of scruff on his tanned face. She could feel his firm hand on her shoulder as he laughed, oblivious to the pounding heart just inches from his grip. She shook off the memory and asked, "Like, on a date? But there's nowhere to go."

"Uh…we could go for a walk." Blake suggested. "Just to talk or something."

Reeta stared into Blake's innocent brown eyes. They reminded her of chocolate—how fitting. He was as sweet as chocolate and incredibly cute. She couldn't say no. "Okay." She said with a smile, "Let's go for a walk."

* * *

"You know, Gustav," Alistair said, slamming the door behind him with extra force as he and his roommate arrived back to their quarters, "I really didn't appreciate the way you ran around and told everyone I was in 'The Dum Zone' today. I told you that in confidence."

Gustav crossed his arms and tilted his head in confusion. "Then why didn't you say so?"

Alistair gritted his teeth. "I didn't think I had to."

"But all of the students in your class already know," Gustav countered, "So it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"…No, I suppose not." Alistair said coldly. Gustav just smiled mischievously, as if he had won an argument. Alistair couldn't reign in his temper for a split second and growled, "You really _are _a child."

Gustav flinched as though he had been struck. "No, I'm not. I'm seventeen."

"So act like it!" Alistair snapped, turning to retreat into his room and change back into his formal attire. But something stopped him in his tracks.

Gustav had grasped his shirt and was clinging tightly to it. "How?" He whispered, his voice quavering. His eyes were wide and pleading, but Alistair felt little pity for him. He reached down and brushed Gustav's hand away.

"I'm not here to teach you how to be mature."

Gustav pulled away, looking thoughtful. "Oh, okay. That's okay. I only wish my parents were around to do it."

Alistair was gripping his doorknob. So close to freedom and yet so far. "Well," He said, trying to sound a little bit more patient, "Maybe if we ever get out of here, you can ask them for a lesson on acting like an adult."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"And why not?" Alistair said, sparing Gustav a withering glance over his shoulder.

"Well, because they're dead, of course!"

Alistair froze in his tracks, turning around to face Gustav. His roommate was standing there rather calmly, his thick layer of makeup making his expression impossible to read. "Ah…I'm sorry for your loss." Alistair said softly, "Pardon me for asking, but how did it happen?"

Gustav struck a pose. "I shall relay the events to you in a musical number!"

"No!" Alistair said hastily, putting a stop to Gustav's song. "Tell me in a normal speaking tone or don't tell me at all. It's been a long day and I have a headache."

"Oh. Okay then!" Gustav said in a chipper voice, "My parents died in a train accident."

Alistair stared at Gustav, waiting for him to expound on this tale. Gustav just blinked at him happily, as if he didn't have a care in the world. Which begged the question…_was he mad or was he just an incredibly skilled actor? _

After a moment, Gustav went on. "I was waiting for them at the station with my Gram-Gram when I heard the train had derailed. I was very young, but I can still remember the warm tears running down my cheeks, the consolations offered by complete strangers in the form of money, the empty tunnel which would never bring my parents home to me…" He bowed his head and tucked his arms behind his back, shoulders slumping with grief. A tear fell from his face and plopped onto the carpet below.

For the first time, Alistair felt genuine pity for the actor. He waited for him to continue his tale. Gustav's voice took on a lyrical quality, despite his promises not to dissolve into a musical number.

"Gram-Gram turned my tears into liquid gold, in a manner of speaking…quite bluntly, she leeched money off the people that pitied me. We traveled for a while, until Gram-Gram wasn't able to do so anymore. We stayed in Atlanta. That's where I crossed paths with a traveling circus and met…"

With a triumphant trill, Gustav whipped out a red sock with button eyes and a blue head of yarn.

"Jester! My pet sock puppet! Jester went with me to the circus, to Broadway, and even came with me when I started acting in movies. He's my best friend!"

Gustav slipped Jester onto his hand and gleefully rubbed it against his cheek. Alistair just gaped at him, trying to figure out if this was all some ridiculous prank. Surely, Gustav was trying to get some reaction out of him. Well, he wouldn't give it to him.

"That's interesting." Alistair said, adjusting his glasses.

"Yes, yes, it is." Gustav said, nodding at Jester as though he had spoken. "Anyways, are you suuure you don't wanna teach me how to act like a mature adult?"

"Positive." Alistair said, itching to escape into his room. His discreetly fixed his hand on the doorknob and began turning it.

Gustav snapped his fingers, looking from Alistair to Jester in exhilaration. "I know! Since you're too busy, I'll use you as an example. It'll be so fun!"

Alistair muttered some kind of agreement, slipped into his room, and shut the door, making sure to lock it behind him. Gustav beamed, glad that his friend agreed. He turned to address Jester.

"Okay, so I'll just act like Ally and everyone will stop thinking I'm a child, right? Maybe Libra will film me too. I noticed she points the camera at Ally a lot, don't you think?"

Gustav heard a tiny voice squeak its agreement.

He threw both hands up and laughed. "Then it's settled!"

From the other side of his door, Alistair listened to Gustav's one-sided conversation with Jester. That settled it. The boy was absolutely mad. He was probably planning to murder him. He would slice his face off and wear it around campus, posing as him. _Okay, maybe I've watched one too many horror movies. _Alistair admitted, coming away from the door, _still, you can never be too careful. Not when you're trapped in a School Life of Mutual Killing._

* * *

For the first part of their walk, Blake couldn't help but monopolize the conversation. He talked on and on about himself. He told Reeta about his football team, some of his most amazing plays, and how excited he was to try out for the NFL. Reeta noticed that he often mentioned his mother and when he did; his voice always became warm with fondness. When there was a break in the conversation, she cut in to voice her thoughts.

"You're really close to your mom, aren't you? That's sweet."

Blake grinned. "Yeah, she'd come to all my games. She's the one who got me into athletics. I never would have found football if not for her!"

"What about your dad?" Reeta asked curiously. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Blake's face fall.

"I dunno. He only seems to care about my grades. Yeah, they weren't the best, but look where sports got me! Who needs good grades, right? Einstein dropped out of school, didn't he?" He frowned. "Or was that someone else?"

Reeta didn't respond, lost in her own thoughts. During the awkward silence, Blake realized that he had only talked about himself so far. He had asked Reeta out in the first place in order to get to know _her_.

_Stupid idiot! _He scolded himself, hurriedly trying to think of a question to ask. "So, uh, how about you? Do you have parents?" _What the hell? Is she a clone? Of course she has parents! _"What I mean to say, is your relationship with your parents good?" _Whoa, that's way too personal. C'mon, man, you got this! _"Forget I said anything, why don't you…why don't you tell me about yourself?" _There. Nailed it._

Reeta was kind enough to answer his questions anyways. "As a matter of fact, I _do _have parents, and they're sort of idiots. But that's okay, because now that I think about it…I'm not sure if I ever would have become a pilot without their idiocy."

"Really?" Blake asked, looking intrigued.

Reeta swept her gaze around the campus, admiring the view. She spotted a nearby bench and motioned towards it. "Let's sit down." They did so and she began to explain herself. "Before I was born, my grandmother left a great deal of money to my family. But my parents didn't know how to save, only to spend. They sent my brother to the best private school in the area, moved into the biggest house there was, and bought like…ten cars."

"Ten?!" Blake echoed in amazement. "Why would they need _that _many cars?"

Reeta pulled a face. "To make up for their lack of IQs. Of course this couldn't last forever. My dad thought he'd win it all back by trying his hand at gambling, but no, he just flushed whatever money was left straight down the toilet."

Blake shook his head and sighed. "Man, that sucks. My mom liked to spend, but my dad was a pretty savvy businessman and he knew how to keep us on the high-class end."

"Good for you!" Reeta exclaimed, her voice containing no sarcasm. Her eyes were clouded with memories as she delved on into her past. "Meanwhile, I had to move into a dirty little apartment at the age of nine. Can you imagine such a transition?"

"No," Blake said on cue. Reeta didn't seem to hear him. A faint smile graced her lips and she closed her eyes, allowing her mind to drift upwards.

"At least I could visit my old life in my dreams." She murmured, "I could fly back to our mansion and live like a princess again. When you're flying, you're free…you're not trapped in a dingy apartment with your parents nagging at you, you don't have to worry about schoolwork, you're free…you can see all of the world's beauty from above…"

Blake closed his eyes and listened to Reeta's voice, imagining this all in his head. He had been on a plane plenty of times; so many times that it had lost its magic. But hearing Reeta describe flying, he could picture himself as a child boarding a plane for the first time, gasping as the aircraft ascended above the clouds and beyond.

Reeta's laugh shattered the pleasant reverie. She was tugging at her blonde hair, grinning sheepishly. "Wow, I got a little carried away, didn't I? Sorry about that!"

"Nah, it's cool." Blake said, snaking his arm around behind her and resting it on the back of the bench. "So, is this what made you want to become a pilot?"

Reeta nodded proudly. "Yup! When I was thirteen, I met one of my brother's friends from his old private school. He told me about being a pilot. I couldn't imagine anything better than getting paid to fly!"

Blake could: scoring a touchdown in front of thousands of cheering fans. But he understood where Reeta was coming from. Everyone was different and the world was better for it.

"But flying a plane isn't quite like flying in your dreams." Reeta admitted, "It's a lot harder, but it's still fun. It would be even _more _fun if I didn't have my school debt hanging over my head." Her gaze darkened with worry. "Um, and this whole killing deal too. But I'm sure we're going to get out of here alive! It's only a matter of time before someone's sent to check on us."

"Yeah!" Blake agreed, sharing in Reeta's optimism. "We'll be all right."

Reeta's smile returned. "Ready to head back?"

The two of them stood up and began to wind their way back to the dorms. "Next time, I'll treat you to dinner somewhere nice. Somewhere outside of school walls." Blake promised, hoping Reeta wouldn't refuse.

She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "I'd like that."


End file.
